Live Review: Trophy Eyes, The Hard Aches, Trash Boat, Rumours

With lead singer Luke Hughes off to the left instead of the typical centre-stage, Sydney-based Rumors kick off the night with an energetic mix of melancholic vocals and pop-punk musical licks. They're keeping the ever-flowing influx of people entertained with their powerful hooks and emotive lyrics.

The pop-punkers of Trash Boat are here all the way from the UK to bring the noise. With an especially The Wonder Years-sounding undertone about them (probably influenced from working with the band's guitarist Dan Campbell on their latest release), they've got the coordinated guitar jumping down pat as they nail the perfect fusion of harsh vocals against poppy melodies.

"I literally just came on stage without a guitar", The Hard Aches' frontman Ben David laughs, obviously very keen to get the show on the road. Only a few songs in, bodies are flying above with many failed attempts at crowd surfing. David is cheeky on stage, responding to a shoey heckle with "no one cool has done a shoey since 2008" and telling the crowd to stop crowd surfing because "you're the only one who thinks you look cool." The Hard Aches sound to be what The Smith Street Bands' Wil Wagner would be like if he amped up the punk rock and their anthemic songs like Glad That You're Gone are a perfect release of energy on a cold Saturday night.

Powering on stage with Home Is off latest album Chemical Miracle, Trophy Eyes are overjoyed to be back home on their aptly named Home Is Australia tour. The five-piece thunder through a mixed bag of tunes across their discography with such raw emotion and passion it's spine tingling. Lead singer John Floreani commands the stage with conviction and purpose, delivering a speech about mental health screaming "it's ok not to be ok" as friends hug friends and the room emanates love and hope leading into Miracle.

Clusters of friends have their arms around each other swaying and screaming along as fan favourite Daydreamer begins. A confetti cannon blasts as the crowd bellows "Daydreamer, no one's gonna love you like you love them" with tears undoubtedly flowing around the room. Trophy Eyes fans bring a warm sense of community with them, and the energy buzzing in the room is infectious. The band work seamlessly together to provide a tight and powerful performance, and as they end with hit single Chlorine, the crowd are exhausted as the final note rings out to ear-splitting applause and cheer.