Live Review: Heaps Good Friends, Slowcoaching, Hannah Blackburn

Local artist Hannah Blackburn is a surprise, inspired choice for tonight's opening act. A stark contrast to the headliners, Blackburn's a singer-songwriter in the mould of Angel Olsen. Backed only by her electric guitar and ethereal vocals, she delights with a selection of heartfelt garage-rock numbers. Her songs are intimate and melodic compositions showcasing her talent for writing introspective and personal songs. Indie-pop quintet Slowcoaching get the dancefloor moving with tracks from last year's All The Same EP. Berlin is a The Cure-inspired rambler and Night Fiction a dose of shoegaze rock. A mixture of '80s alternative and mid-'00s indie, Slowcoaching are solid workers who put on a quality performance, even with a stand-in keyboardist who hasn't practised with the band beforehand. The rousing Pillars Of Salt brings Slowcoaching's set to an entertaining end. 

Adelaide's electro-pop trio Heaps Good Friends have been hailed as a breath of fresh air in the Australian electronic scene, and it's easy to see why with their dynamic and hyperactive live show. Walking on stage to Spice Girls' Wannabe, the three-piece begin with choreographed dance moves before longhaired bassist Nick O'Connor addresses the near-capacity crowd. "Melbourne, how you doing?" he cheerfully asks. "We're from Adelaide. I hope you're ready to dance?" And dance we do. 

For the entire 45-odd minute set the crowd is moving and bopping along to the infectious sounds of Heaps Good Friends. Their comically titled latest single I Could Eat A Full Packet Of Yo Yo's is a burst of electro-pop that has everyone, including the bar staff, grooving along. The audience claps along enthusiastically during Online Shopping Trolley while a couple of dudes start head-banging during a riotous number. It's really hard to stand still at a Heaps Good Friends gig, with the trio's feel-good tunes made for booty-shaking. Frontwoman Emma Fradd dances across the stage like she's possessed, throwing her arms in the air, whirling her hair and contorting her body into all manner of weird and wonderful positions. Meanwhile, O'Connor twists his face into a variety of bass-faces, drawing hearty laughter from one lad at the back, while drummer Dan Steinert appears lost in his own world when not introducing songs or shouting-out to the audience for coming along. 

Fradd displays her guitar skills with a number of electrifying solos, giving the low-key Cry Like A Psycho an '80s touch with her Brain May-inspired strumming. Following a song with a tropical vibe, the frantic Olympic Sneakers almost blows the roof off as the crowd sings along with the pulsing backing track. Fradd stands with a huge grin on her face, marvelling at the group of strangers singing her lyrics back to her. O'Connor announces they only have one song left, much to the crowd's disappointment. Fradd begins singing Let's Hug Longer a cappella before the band joins her for what seems like an extended version of the up-tempo pop jam. With the crowd chanting, "One more song!" as Fradd and O'Connor leave the stage, drummer Steinert stays on and begins drumming the beat to The Notorious BIG's Juicy while rapping along, much to everyone's amusement. A Heaps Good Friends show is the most fun you can have with your clothes on and this Adelaide trio is set for bigger and better things.