Live Review: The Gooch Palms, Pist Idiots, Totty

The recently reopened Lansdowne Hotel provided a beautifully decorated, thoughtful space for a night of live music - an intimate room with a big red Rolling Stone sign above the stage, with a warm, friendly vibe (plus unisex bathrooms to match).

Passionate trio Totty brought their '90s punk rock vibes to a short and sweet set that had the small but interested crowd bouncing from the get-go. Their muddy guitar tones and propelling rhythms, playful shouts and mischievous laughter energised the cavern. Lead singer Kelly Jansch's sore throat came as no surprise considering how much effort and growl she put into her performance; however, despite her repeated apologies, her illness did not disturb the set, nor could you tell until she spoke.

Revesby boys Pist Idiots quickly stacked the room with a heavy, thumping beat and warm, pulsing bodies. An angsty 99 Bottles swayed through the sticky sweat. Frontman Jack Sniff's stripped-back, sincere relay of the opening verse, to a thrashing track with a loud kick drum and gritty repetitive guitar chords, pleasing the head-banging bunch.

Their final song Fuck Off was one the crowd could totally get around, with its easy-to-follow, relatable message, while the band's seemingly emotional and personal attachment to the track's premise was masterfully masked by their knock-about demeanour.

We thought the room couldn't get any fuller (or rowdier) - overall-clad, Novocastrian duo The Gooch Palms proved us very wrong. The set was an absolute ball, laced with amusing anecdotes addressing the all-too-relatable stresses of everyday life. Their humility, honesty and matter-of-fact approach provided a sweet release; one that those encountering Goochies live for the first time may not seem to think was possible.

"I got in a lot of trouble in America for getting naked," Leroy Macqueen admitted, pulling away his genitalia-painted slacks, half-naked bodies rolling across the crowd in front of him. "We love to tumble," the pair shared, playfully sprawling on the stage floor.

The catchy as hell track Ask Me Why had the eclectic but trendy crowd convulsing manically on the low stage, a presence welcomed by The Gooch Palm's non-stop high energy; no one cared and it was great. "What a bunch of dumb cunts in Canberra," they proposed. Confetti rained, the crowd concurred.

Thanking the Lansdowne and their fans, they performed You for the crowd - "You little rippers, you little chippers, this song is for all of you! We fucking appreciate it!" An encore of Avril Lavine's Sk8er Boi tugged the noughties heartstrings of both the young and old in the happy, nostalgic crowd.