The pre-show beers were flowing freely in The Annandale Hotel’s beer garden and just as well considering the sweat and stress punters bodies would be put through shortly after. With the crowd steadily growing in the venue you could tell there was a real sense of anticipation in the air for the nights show. The smell of a freshly lit joint rolled over the back wall of the beer garden, signalling it was just about time to head in and check out the support act, Violent Soho.

In a fury of guitars, hair and beer the Soho boys burst onto the stage and set off at a staggering pace. Smashing through the first three songs they whipped the fans into a frenzy. The packed room was loving every second of it - a little mosh broke out down the front and when the band played Muscle Junkie shit really started to get loose. Nearing the end of the set the band paused in between songs to thank the crowd and request weed before heading into the final two songs, Jesus Stole My Girlfriend followed by Neighbour Neighbour, which one punter was overheard arguing it’s exclusion from the Triple J Hottest 100 top ten.

With the crowd well and truly warmed up it was Cloud Nothing’s time to impress and impress they did. Front man Dylan Baldi howled like a man possessed as the capacity audience writhed and twisted in front of him like a sea of disjointed limbs and torsos. The band smashed through material from last year’s epic Attack On Memory, with the upbeat Stay Useless and dark brooding No Future/No Past highlighted as crowd favourites.

The night highlight came when the nine minute epic Wasted Days blasted from the Annandale’s speakers like a wall of noise intent on exploding every ear drum within the suburb. The crazy loose set rolled in at just under 50 minutes long with the band sticking for the most part to Attack On Memory’s recent material. Short it might have been but ask anyone that left that heaving Annandale band room, it sure as hell was sweet.

-Bret Woods