Live Review: La Dispute Factory, Rachel Maria Cox, Sports Bra

“I just want to say thanks to everyone who left the house tonight, put pants on, showered this week. I know it’s hard but thanks for coming out," said Sydney indie-punk four-piece Sports Bra, who opened tonight’s Good Things festival sideshow for bombastic post-hardcore stalwarts La Dispute.

Sending good vibes and making a safe space for fun times and indie-rock, the band played a unique blend of queer-pop and indie-punk to the slowly filling room. Track Little Beast plucked playfully on the heartstrings of those fortunate enough to join them for the early start.

Neither support act trod the same sonic path as the headliners. Rachel Maria Cox and band continued the night with dreamy pop sensibilities, songs about Zac Efron, and banter about the giddy feeling they get when someone in the crowd yells, “Yew!” after each song. In between jangly guitars and upbeat pop tunes, Cox humbly told the crowd how excited they were when La Dispute approached them directly with the offer to support. 

As the lights dimmed, La Dispute exploded out of the gates like enraged bulls, charging into New Storms For Older Lovers. Within seconds Jordan Dreyer was in the crowd, punters scrambling for the mic firmly gripped in his outstretched arm.

His step count must be through the roof - he stamped down every square inch of the stage in the four-minute opener alone while security worked hard to catch a constant flow of crowd surfers.

Barely taking a breath, they flowed straight into The Castle Builders and the near sold-out Factory continued to give security a run for their money. Unnoticed by most, Dreyer’s microphone cut out temporarily during almost-love-song Woman (In Mirror) but they quickly recovered.

Dreyer finally paused to thank the crowd for believing in the band and helping create a safe space, also taking time to sing the praises of the two opening acts. 

There's been the promise of new music on the horizon, although sadly we weren’t treated to any. Most of the night's material came from their more recent albums, but the finale started with the slow groove of 2008 cut Fall Down, Never Get Back Up Again. Phones were held aloft as Dreyer dragged his mic stand across the stage and into Damaged Goods with its rock-solid riffing and driving drums, before all in attendance lent their voices to Said The King To The River. Finally, they closed out the short but oh-so-sweet set with Such Small Hands, the intro track to their opus, Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair.