Live Review: Spiral Stairs, Step-Panther

With easy-going dudes blasting out hard-hitting sounds, Sydney-based band Step-Panther were your typical start to a Rad Bar show.

The three-piece drifted between chugging pub rock anthems and heavily distorted psychedelia, soaked with Australian slang in the vocals to make for an unpredictable and punchy set. A sizeable audience - a lot of whom didn't stick around for the headliner - squeezed in, away from the constant rain, to lap up to the young energy on offer.

This drop in energy and attendance from the crowd had no effect on Scott Kannberg who, under the Spiral Stairs moniker, was as unconventional and irreverent as ever. The show kicked off with the band already performing when Kannberg emerged from the crowd and took to the mic halfway through opening track Hypnotised. The former Pavement member followed this up with plenty of animated movements as he strummed away on the guitar and wailed John Morrison-esque cries.

The accompanying band had plenty to offer too, fleshing out the rest of Kannberg's songs with upbeat, catchy bass lines in Exiled Tonight and beer bottle percussions during No Comparison. Kannberg lamented observations of Queensland culture during Vultures Of Caboolture - his remarks about their preference for rum and cokes evoked some cheeky grins from the crowd.

Ultimately, the small intimacy of the gig was greatly appreciated by Kannberg's devoted fans who, for the most part, were content to politely give Spiral Stairs their undivided attention and bear witness to a set that drew most of its entertainment from its enigmatic frontman.