Live Review: The Smith Street Band, Luca Brasi, Joelistics, Jess Locke Band

Jess Locke Band opens the night with a sweet croon. If you imagine Courtney Barnett fronting The Libertines that's pretty much the sound of this Melbourne singer-songwriter. Her set is effortless, played with the skill of a veteran performer.

At first, Joelistics feels like an odd fit for a punk show. However, he gets the crowd amped up with his rich beats and political lyrics. There's a real sense of community tonight as Joelistics is joined by other billed acts. Locke comes out on stage for an impromptu cover of You Am I's Heavy Heart. The second cameo is made by none other than The Smith Street Band for a track they co-wrote with Joelistics. 

Main support and The Smith Street Band labelmates Luca Brasi storm on stage with a hurricane of in-your-face, relentless punk songs. It's not long before all in the moshpit are jumping, crowd-surfing and screaming along with these Tassie punks. An excited fan screams out, "I love all your songs! They're great! They're fuckin' sick!" Singer Tom Busby dedicates their Like A Version cover of Paul Kelly's How To Make Gravy to the fan.

Melbourne sure knows how to welcome hometown heavyweights The Smith Street Band. Tonight is the first of three sold-out shows. The Smith Street Band set off in a whirl of fast-paced punk rock, blasting through I Love Life, Surrey Drive, Ducks Fly Together and Postcodes (For People Who Will Not Arrest Me). You can see their passion bleeding through every note, word and beat.

Frontman Wil Wagner tells us he's re-injured the leg he hurt during the band's Adelaide show. "Maybe I'll play the rest of these shows in a wheelchair like a fat, modern day Axl Rose," he laughs. "That's basically my music bio and my Tinder profile." The set has a high energy as the band and the crowd feed off each other. It's this connection and Wagner's insight into the band's tracks that makes the night feel intimate despite the size of this venue.

The set ends with a quick succession of fan favourites: Don't Fuck With Our Dreams, Get High, See Mice and Throw Me In The River. Wagner's Aussie drawl pokes through with each lyric he shouts. Their sound is a melting pot of punk pace, garage guitars and folky lyrics.

Wagner limps back on stage, followed by the rest of The Smith Street Band, to the chant of, "One more song!" Young Drunk is the encore track. "I think I've broken my leg," he says, "so if anyone needs me after the show I'm going to the hospital." How punk rock to finish a set with a potential broken bone!