Live Review: Gang Of Youths

There are not many bands capable of filling Newtown Social Club with merely 12-hours notice on a rainy, Tuesday night. Gang Of Youths however, proved once again why their infectiously charismatic stage presence and passionate musical flair can bring punters running from all corners of Sydney to share in one exclusive night of celebration of their latest EP, Let Me Be Clear.

With doors forced shut by 8pm, lead singer Dave Le'aupepe decided to take matters into his own hands, playing an impromptu solo performance for the downstairs audience and those locked outside. Sitting in the corner at ground level of the intimate room, aided by only a microphone and his electric guitar, Dave tied back his thick, curly hair and bellowed out a mini set of crowd-pleasers to roaring fans standing on tables and pressed against the glass doors outside. "Sorry to the people that couldn't get upstairs tonight," he exclaimed, applauding the crowd's support and playing one last song, The Overpass.

Upstairs, the heat continued in a dimly lit room, with shoulder-to-shoulder bounces and intermittent screams as Max Dunn, Jung Kim, Joji Malani, Donnie Borzestowski and Le'aupepe bound onto the stage with nothing but a tiny ledge separating the band from the crowd.

Le'aupepe flaunts his energetic dance moves all across the stage, pulling off his leather jacket after one song and sheepishly threatening to take off his shirt after a second. Watching the five-piece perform with such humility is completely contagious, as both the band and audience howl harmoniously to Poison Drum "I'm not afraid".

Following an expressive, piano-based rendition of Knuckles White Dry, the band shared some unreleased tracks and insights on how to manage everyday existential crisis: "You get to ascribe meaning to a cosmos that would otherwise be meaningless," Le'aupepe explained before closing his eyes into a reflective trance. Underneath the hair-flicks, headbangs and vigorous fist pumps, the GOY frontman displays a depth of emotion in his vocals driven by extreme passion and absorbed personal hardships.

A swift run through the crowd during Magnolia turned into a long tune of deep bass and melodic guitar riffs, as Le'aupepe embraces every hug, grasp, squeeze and squeal felt among their sea of supporters. Eventually jumping back on stage, the band bows for a temporary exodus, before striding back on stage for their final encore tune Vital Signs.

Such an emotionally honest performance by all five members summed up perfectly by Le'aupepe's closing scream to the fans:

"I was born four blocks from here. This feels like a fucking homecoming. Thank you."