Live Review: The Delta Riggs, The Pretty Littles

The Pretty Littles were trusted with the task of warming up the stage for the The Delta Riggs, and it's a responsibility they did not take lightly. With a slight stagger that helped them live up to the drunken Aussie rocker stereotype, they smashed through their growing catalogue with an appreciative crowd stomping along a beat or two behind their tight, fast-paced rock. They also managed to slip two covers into the set. Missy Higgins' The Special Two had a patriotic crowd's hearts fluttering, and Torn by Natalie Imbruglia was given a gravelly new edge.

When The Delta Riggs finally took the stage the crowd set the dancefloor of Fat Controller alight and the band seemed just as stoked to kick off the first gig of their national tour. After releasing three albums, and a mini-album, and recently announcing plans for a collaboration with Sticky Fingers, they have certainly worked hard enough to deserve a good following and perhaps haven't received the recognition they deserve.

They tipped that all that was about to change, opening with their attention demanding rock anthem The Record's Flawed. A rowdy moshpit moved in on the first bar and may as well have thrown a housewarming, as they were not going anywhere for the rest of the gig, keeping up a healthy rotation of people on shoulders and people throwing drinks.

The real musical treat came in Telescope House, which they led straight into off the back of their opener. Frontman Elliott Hammond played no doubt some of the most melodic harmonica that has graced the stage of Fat Controller. The set what somewhat ruined by the fact that they had the delay turned up too high the entire set, transforming an effect that ordinarily augments a rock experience into an omniscient and overbearing feature that made the lyrics and finer instrumentation almost impossible to hear.

Despite some musical flaws, by far the biggest disappointment of the night came from Hammond's appallingly archaic views that match his greasy Britpop haircut from 20 years ago. After alleging that one of the crowd had stolen his hat, he burst into a temper tantrum, saying "You cunts have lost yourself an encore because of that" as well as addressing the crowd as "faggots". Perhaps he could learn something from his stage mates, The Pretty Littles, who have recently been vocal advocates for people facing inequality, releasing a song called Sam's Mob about Sam Newman and the wider culture of exclusionary boy's club banter. True to their word, the Riggs did not offer an encore and completely fudged the opening to their final song Supersonic Casualties in anger.