Live Review: The Meanies, Ghost Hotel, Umpire, Leeches!, Sugar Army, Chainsaw Hookers

Looking around Amplifier, it was great to see so many familiar faces, all there to help our affectionately known 'Amps' celebrate its sweet 16th.

To open the celebrations, who better than The Ghost Hotel, a band that has been around for almost as long as Amplifier. Their melodic tunes were the perfect opener for a night that was full of promises (or as one member could attest to, a night filled with promises of drunkenness and debauchery!).

Umpire were the next band to grace the stage after a two-year absence, bringing their upbeat catchy songs to the party. It's not hard to see why so many people enjoy their musical stylings — the talent of these guys is unmistakable.

Leeches! are that one friend who rocks up to the party late, drunk and rearing to go. Their energy infected the crowd and their playing was so frenetic that glasses were lost in the process. Leeches! spiked the proverbial punch to take the party to a new level.

Another band that has dropped off the radar lately, Sugar Army, took to the stage opening with Will You Follow. A new song is dark, gritty and sultry, reminiscent of their earlier material while sounding fresh, showing Sugar Army are still a force to be reckoned with. They ended with crowd favourite Tongues In Cheeks, showing the room that their strength as a three-piece is growing exponentially. Sugar Army are back.

While Sugar Army are reinforcing their spot in the Perth music scene, another of Perth's great bands are preparing for an indefinite break. Chainsaw Hookers played one of their last few sets to a packed room as people both lamented the loss and celebrated with this great band. The enthusiasm they have on stage is always brilliant to see and we hope that their indefinite break lasts as long as John Farnham's.

The Meanies – what can you say about this band that have been around longer than half of the crowd and indeed, Amplifier itself? Watching them play is an experience in itself. With hits like 10% Weird, There's A Gap, Grandmother's Dead and Kill, you know you are in for a treat. The crowd was eating it up and there were little individual parties happening all over the dancefloor. The influence this seminal band has on so many others is evident.

Amplifier has been our home away from home for 16 years and let's hope they are still there 16 years from now.