Live Review: Cub Sport, Neon Tetra, Jess Day

The night began with a very enjoyable set from local indie rocker Jess Day. With a sophisticated rhythm section and talented lead guitarist, the whole thing came together really well. Day's vocals are crisp and heartfelt, with a frail edge and a '90s soft-alternative vibe. The defined and clear vocals over the interlaced instruments created a sound that is a step above the vast majority of supports who have come through this venue. It's a pity there weren't more people there early. 

Neon Tetra are one of the standout live acts in South Australia right now and one of the best bands the state have produced in years. With a vibe that's part old Saskwatch, part Client Liaison (sans irony) and something entirely their own, we strongly suggest checking them out while they're still up-and-coming. The tenor vocals are smooth and confident, the rhythm section chunky and punchy and the sax adds loads of polish. There's so much going on that's just too good.

Following Neon Tetra, Cub Sport had a comparatively flatter and less dynamic sound. It wasn't bad in itself, but the dream pop elements didn't have the sonic variation and the punch that the bass, keys and drums had from the previous bad. The drums sounded a little synthetic and the keys were a little lower in the mix, which may have been perfect for this sort of mix in theory, but a bigger wash of ambience could have lifted the set. It was still generally likeable, with the band's charisma carrying it through. The harmonies kept getting better and better and there was a good, carefully executed use of Auto-Tune. 

Tim Nelson's vocals were amazing and well mixed. His stage presence is undeniable with a sort of transcendental rock star aura. The longer haircut he's sprouting these days certainly helped. Cub Sport have changed a lot since their more indie-rock days and can almost be described as dream-pop.

The sound did improve throughout the set and Hawaiian Party sounded clean and clear. Come On Mess Me Up was great and, predictably, Sometimes was good, but a tad underwhelming for how amazing the recorded version sounds. The set sounded a fairly samey by the end, with the dreamy sound and flat drums all meshing together but the overall audio mix got better incrementally. The set length did feel a little short and an encore would have been nice, but perhaps we're spoilt with the length of most sets these days.