Live Review: Sticky Fingers, Bootleg Rascal, Younger Dryas

Younger Dryas get the night started with a muddling mix of styles, traversing through reggae, rock, roots and everything in between. A slowed-down cover of Cream's Crossroads turns the ballistic blues track into a country foot stomper. The Tasmanians' output is enthusiastic and commendable.

Bootleg Rascal share their name with a track from tonight's headliner and, as their set unravels, it becomes very apparent that isn't the only thing they share in common. Adding hip hop to an already strange palette of dub and folk, it's probably a mark of respect to Sticky Fingers that there are already bands popping up mimicking and morphing their style. Bootleg Rascal's reception builds song by song and it's difficult to say whether the throng's excitement stems from their work or the prospect of who's up next.

It hasn't taken triple j golden boys Sticky Fingers long to develop a cult-like following and tonight the punters cram into every crevice of Corner Hotel. Rapturous applause meets opening salvo Freddy Crabs as other-worldly keys and reverb-laden guitar leads meld into the already signature dub basslines that are synonymous with Sticky Fingers. “When I'm lying in her arms/I'll be thinking 'bout you/Even when she smiles/I'll be thinking 'bout you,” Dylan Frost sings on These Girls, his vocals dovetailing with the gently melodic lilt of Seamus Coyle's guitar work. The band eschew the clinical clarity of their studio work in favour of raw energy to mixed results. New single Gold Snafu shines with the injection of power to its pop pomp. Bootleg Rascal gives bassist Patty Cornwall and drummer Eric 'Beaker' Gruener a chance to explore the deepest recesses of Sticky Fingers' seductive, dubby dark side, taking us further down the rabbit hole with each transfixing tempo change. The Newtown lads miss the mark with their timing on Caress Your Soul and all its beguiling little atmospheric touches are lost tonight, but the buoyant, bouncing crowd doesn't mind. Wrapping the night up with Australia Street, everything that makes Sticky Fingers such an exciting young band falls together with casual purpose. Frost's velvety vocals dance over the top of delicate rhythms and serene, echoing guitar riffs. It's an ideal finish from a band on the up and up.