Live Review: Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, Blake Scott, Roadhouses

With a new album, Good Citizens, on the horizon and a fresh new single out in the world, Cash Savage & The Last Drinks hit Sydney with a fine pair of opening acts in tow.

Roadhouses also have new music freshly imparted to the universe and they played a typically strong set. Their sound suits the size of the Lansdowne live room with its compact stage and always spot-on sound. The trio showcased their new album, slowing heartbeats to the shimmering drowsy tempo of their music. They're a band who know how to get the most out of well-placed instrumentation, leaving notes hanging in the air. When they did get busier, it was Cec Condon's drums and James Bellesini's bass that added subtle details. It was only the last minute of their set where the tempo increased into a Velvet Underground-esque accelerated strum.

Blake Scott is travelling the solo route while his band The Peep Tempel are on hiatus. You get the sense he is finding it a therapeutic experience — getting to scratch his musical itch on stage, yet there are also cracks in his stoicism, particularly in his between-song comments that suggest he'd rather have the full band on stage with him. There's a real appreciation for his guitar playing that takes its own exploratory trip through his songs, independent of, yet also fully complementing his words and melodies. Warmly received by the audience, he's a hard songwriter to pigeonhole and one gets the sense that's exactly how he likes it.

Cash Savage has firmly established herself on the strength of her songwriting and live performances, and with The Last Drinks behind her you'd be hard-pressed to find a more exhilarating and heart-swelling live band in this country. Their set was perfectly paced, beginning slow and moody, all their power in the restraint of their playing. Slowly, song by song, they opened their shoulders and loosened their hips, fully immersing themselves in the cathartic aspect of playing the songs. Savage possesses one of the most commanding thousand-yard stares, her eyes fixed on the back wall of the venue, occasionally scanning and momentarily locking eyes with various punters. The new single Better Than That was resplendent in its warm pulse and glow, referencing the marriage equality events of last year. Other new songs sounded equally impressive but the strength of familiarity meant that crowd favourites were Rat-A-Tat-Tat, the lurching Let Go and a version of Run With The Dogs that teased and teased before lifting off with sonic gusto. There's a tension in the music that Savage clearly knows is crucial to protect. The more she holds onto that, the more powerful the effect when it's released, and as evidenced by the moving mass of bodies and satiated grins, the greater the experience for both band and audience.