Live Review: Milk! Records Good For You Tour

An unusually long line out the front of The Triffid can only mean that tonight's line-up is worth waiting out in the rain for. With a bevy of eclectic and quintessentially Australian music on offer, Grammy Award nominee included, it is no surprise fans are keen to bust down those doors. With 25-minute sets between six of Milk! Records' best artists, together with collaborative tracks, it appears that tonight is the best intensive way to experience what the label has to offer.

The Finks fronted and curated by the talented Oliver Mestitz, kick off proceedings, delicately taking us through the wonders of honest spoken word and vulnerable storytelling.

The intense scuzzy guitar-driven East Brunswick All Girls Choir, reveal the beauty in desperate, wailing vocal melodies and the awe-inspiring power of two drummers playing in unison.

Nothing could prepare the packed in crowd for Ouch! My Face, whose punk/electro/heavy-hitting style intrigues and charms the crowd. Frontwoman Celeste Potter is quickly declared the most entertaining vocalist of the evening, pitch-modulating her voice and often screaming her lyrics while smashing her mega-distorted lead guitar. In addition, Ouch! My Face received assistance from a buffet of fellow Milk! mates in singing and choreographed dancing — just the cherry on top.

Intermission quickly comes and goes and Jen Cloher takes to the stage. The co-founder of Milk! Records showcases her rock/country-infused songs, wooing fans with her proclamations of thanks for buying out The Triffid.

Fraser A Gorman soon takes over, presenting a style of music not too dissimilar to Cloher's, enhancing his already sizeable charisma by drawing comparisons between his look and Leo Sayer's and telling a story about meeting a sassy window-cleaning 11-year-old.

Courtney Barnett appears to help out Gorman on the tail-end of his set before introducing her own with Dead Fox, with Gorman returning the favour and helping Barnett out on lead guitar. His execution of the lead hook in Dead Fox is phenomenal and enhances the song's live performance ten-fold. Barnett's set goes on to entertain with Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party, Small Poppies and Three Packs A Day.

Entertaining music is one thing, but as the Milk! Records bunch assist each other all night — handing over instruments, adjusting mic stands, collaborating on songs — all while throwing around playful nicknames, it becomes a charming display of good mateship: a clear ingredient of what makes Milk! Records one of the best independent labels in Australia.