Live Review: San Cisco, Chase City

A joyful sold-out crowd fed off the energy of the exceptional San Cisco on Friday night, with the Waratah Hotel truly the place to be.

Nailed on as the support act for many mainland artists who visit Tasmania, Chase City opened to a buzzing crowd in Hobart. The dance-punk outfit, led by Tarik Stoneman, always lead with positive vibes, keen to entertain the audience. As the crowd milled in, collecting their drinks, greeting old friends and chatting away, many of the them nodded in appreciation of the local band. The five-piece, with only one album to their name, make up for their limited material with an energetic performance and a love for their craft. Jeremy Ferguson grinned away as he bounced through some infectious pop chords on the keys in crowd favourite Surrounded, while Stoneman nodded and weaved around the stage. With the crowd getting more and more into the electronic punk atmosphere, Chase City showed their love for LCD Soundsystem with a dark, dense cover of Dance Yrself Clean to whip up the crowd.

As the lights dimmed, a packed-out Waratah Hotel chanted " San Cisco" louder and louder. When the band finally took the stage, a deafening cheer filled the intimate venue. And when the first kick of the drum landed, immediately the crowd's feet were off the ground. While the back of the room was spread out, the front was packed together, eager to get as close as possible to the indie idols from Fremantle. You know a band has won the crowd over when dozens of people are singing along but mouthing the words wrong like they did in SloMo. During The Distance and Awkward, it seemed every person in the crowd chanted rowdily or clapped along to the hook. When Jordi Davieson announced "this next song is dedicated to a fucked up relationship", two girls high-fived each other emphatically, laughing.

New bass guitarist and bona fide rock star Jennifer Aslett hit the ground running with many a slick bass line and a cool stage presence, especially during her solo in About You. Meanwhile, the side of the mosh was lined with people standing on the couches, and a pair of people on shoulders screamed the lyrics to each other. Another belted out the lyrics with her tickets rolled up into a makeshift mic. In the middle of the mosh, a shorter girl surrounded by people was resigned to her fate of not seeing the stage - but continued to have a great time with her circle of friends facing away from the stage. When Davieson refused to scull a beer, a light-hearted boo erupted from the crowd before they continued to dance. Through the middle of the set, the irresistible harmonies of lead Jordi Davieson, Josh Biondillo and Scarlett Stevens shone through drum-driven tracks like Wash It All Away.

As the chorus of Fred Astaire rolled in, many in the crowd couldn't help but smile and dance along with the swing rhythm. Lots of couples bonded over Hey, Did I Do You Wrong?, an expression saying 'I love this song!' flashing across their face. It was no surprise when, during the encore, a huge chant of "one more song" rose up. As the opening chords of Run rung in Davieson and Aslett jammed back to back, while in the crowd there was a chaotic flying of arms and people jumped from front to back. A fitting end to a blissful night, the four-piece left to a booming applause.