Live Review: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Immigrant Union

Sans Courtney Barnett, Immigrant Union in five-piece form woo an early crowd with an alt-country, folkish take on psych. Alternating between droning, slightly melancholic rock and some really upbeat acoustic strumming and country rhythms, the dual frontman approach featuring The Dandy Warhols' drummer Brent DeBoer and Bob Harrow – generally faceless due to a fine mop of hair – is borne on good old-fashioned songwriter chemistry. Despite its boppy, Warhol-esque cadence, I Can't Return feels bittersweet; DeBoer's ode to leaving Portland for Melbourne, it's a closer that highlights the band's musicianship with an extended outro and a parting notion that these guys have got something goin' on.

Rolling onto stage with slicked-back hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, it doesn't get much cooler than Black Rebel Motorcycle Club guitarist Peter Hayes as he launches into Hate The Taste from this year's seventh record, Specter At The Feast. Beat The Devil's Tattoo is an early highlight, not least because of the understated skills of drummer Leah Shapiro. She's a powerhouse – she's got to be in this outfit – though not in that flashy way that screams “Look at me” with every fill, which is particularly evident given her unique choice of rhythms that allow the bluesier moments to come into their own. The balls-out rock begins in earnest with Rival, the dual-vocal approach of Hayes and bassist Robert Levon Been blowing heads back as they trade riffs beneath a brain-penetrating strobe; BRMC always give good lighting. Berlin is notable for the delectable polished sleaze that permeates Baby 81, though it's not all menacing rock despite what Been's booming, distorted chord style of bass often denotes. Some tender moments present too, not least Let The Day Begin, a tribute to his late father Michael Been of The Call who previously served as the trio's sound engineer.

They've spent time on all the records of their career tonight, and it's fitting that Spread Your Love, from their 2001 debut, provides a chugging, fuzz-ridden end to the set, though even after 90 solid minutes the crowd wants more. Returning with unplugged versions of Complicated Situation and Shuffle Your Feet from 2005's Howl, the dynamic set continues. With max power, once again the BRMC rollercoaster peaks across Whatever Happened To My Rock'n'Roll (Punk Song), sending everyone out into the rainy evening with newbie, Sell It, a final memento of the teasing, noisy, brooding and damn near perfect rock experience just had.