Live Review: West Thebarton, Pist Idiots, Stork, Wing Defence

West Thebarton told us a year ago that they were Moving Out and they meant it. They've moved out, grown up, and popped out a kid. It's called Different Beings Being Different and it rocks. More about that later.

Wing Defence opened the show with songs Stuck and Listerine as heard on triple j. The problem of sudden triple j rotation is that occasionally an act finds itself with an expectant audience before there's been so much as a rehearsal. It's an enviable problem to have. Wing Defence duo Skye Lockwood and Paige Court, playing their third ever gig tonight, solved it by recruiting familiar faces from Adelaide's exhaustive pool of brilliant session musicians. It didn't feel much like a band yet, but Paige Court (otherwise known as Mane) was fun and endearing to watch and should totally front a rock band as often as possible.

During Wing Defence's set there was a guy in the audience with the most horrendous mullet. It turned out he was in the next band, Stork. This young group from Adelaide's southern beaches played basic garage-rock with lyrical refrains repeated ad nauseam. The folks up the front had a swell time (get it?) singing along to lines like "No waves at the beach!" and "A shark is gonna eat ya!" Some less-thought-out lyrics about a Turkish woman spoiled the mood for some.

During Stork's set there was a guy in the audience wearing stubbie shorts (it was five degrees Celsius outside), a tacky and tattered beanie, and glitter face paint. It turned out he was in the next band, Pist Idiots. With popular selections like Fuck Off, the band had little trouble meeting the crowd's seemingly insatiable need for erudite ocker-accented garage-rock. Their song Surry Hills was well received, but the crowd, now over capacity, were not at The Gov to hear about some poncey Sydney suburb.

West Thebarton appeared to rapturous applause, and proceeded to blow everyone else off the stage.

Why was the show so amazing? Was it the palpable home crowd excitement? The band's mothers hiding in the back row? The kids up front going batshit crazy? It was all these things and more. Caitlin Thomas was an unstoppable monster on drums, propelling older tunes like Dolewave the way they should always have been. Reverend Ray Dalfsen was the perfect frontman; fun and ego-free, and unafraid to call out dickheads in the pit. The band's audacious four-guitar attack made Stuck On You and other tracks from Different Beings Being Different sound enormous. They did their cover of You Got The Love. People shouted and cheered and ran into each other at high velocity to express their delight, and left The Gov feeling at peace with themselves and one another.

I can't imagine how triumphant a band must feel ending its first major tour with a show like this. It was like some sort of coronation — the overdue ascension of Aus-indie-rock's heirs apparent.