Live Review: The Holidays, Major Leagues, Contrast

One of the features of this venue is its dark corners, which, unfortunately for Contrast, means that the small crowd who have come along early to catch their set look miniscule in numbers because of their preference for the dimmed areas of the room. Regardless, the barely-visible early birds get to enjoy some '90s-inspired, indie-pop rock to warm them up for the evening.

Major Leagues take a couple of songs to find momentum in front of the swelling crowd. The ultra-busy Brisbane four-piece casually shower the room with their dreamy pop tunes featuring sugary melodies and effortless harmonies. It's likely that Major Leagues will feature on many a summer playlist, with recent release Endless Drain an obvious pick for sunny, carefree days.

Given that The Holidays have been off the live music scene for quite some time, instead choosing to dedicate their time to working on a new album set for 2014 release, it's quite remarkable to see how many people show up to see the band return with new material up their sleeves. They take to the stage, each with such varying physical appearances that they all look as though they belong in separate bands. The guys seemingly pick up where they left off only a couple of years ago, with much acclaim surrounding Post Paradise, their release at the time. Of course, most of us in the room remember Broken Bones, but the sense of nostalgia doesn't appear to outweigh the enthusiasm for the Sydney outfit's new material. In fact, when singer Simon Jones confides that a live show may not be the best forum in which to hear new music, one friendly heckler reassuringly shouts that it's “the best place”. And it does seem to be received with open arms (and ears). The first single off their upcoming album Voices Drifting is perfectly complemented by another song, All Time High: a feel-good tune with hit written all over it. When Jones tells us it's time “to take it up a notch”, he isn't joking. The song, which is nearly double the length of their other tunes, displays the true capabilities of a band who are just as natural at writing hooky pop songs as they are at creating progressive masterpieces such as this one. If tonight is anything to go by, The Holidays' fanbase is about to explode.