Friday 18/05/07 Howling Bells, The Temper Trap, Whiskey Go Gos @ The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide

Going by their sound, you’d have to imagine that Whiskey Go Gos have named themselves after the Sunset Strip nightclub that played a pivotal role in the career of The Doors and, to a lesser extent, The Byrds and Love. There’s also the original 1940s Parisian discotheque, of course, and the club in Brisbane where 15 people burnt to death in a 1973 firebomb attack, but neither fits the image quite so well. Certainly, the Go Gos have a hint of sixties psychedelia about them, though there are other influences on display too, not least some elements of blues and country. In short, there’s nothing spectacularly original about Whiskey Go Gos, but if you catch their live show it’s unlikely that you’ll care.

On first listen the songs – especially 'True Love' – are good enough that you want to hear them again, more or less immediately, and there’s no doubting the Go Gos charisma or stage presence. Frontman, singer, guitarist and songwriter Matt Hutchinson is both the star and the driving force behind the band, but he’s ably assisted by the luxuriously underworked P Bone Pebbles. Pebbles does nothing much apart from shaking a tambourine or some maracas while showing off an Afro that Beyoncé would once have been proud of, but that only adds to the overall effect. To all of their other attributes you can add a rare lightness of touch, something you certainly wouldn’t accuse the second act of demonstrating in their set.

The Temper Trap have been building a reputation for themselves around their home town of Melbourne, but following Whiskey Go Gos is no easy task. In comparison they seem almost unbearably earnest and more than a little wooden, lacking both the inspiration and the agility of the Go Gos. Which isn’t to say that they’re bad, just that tonight’s line up hasn’t treated them particularly well. On the other hand, they are much better suited, stylistically, to supporting the Howling Bells. There are occasional hints of more dance-oriented influences in their sound, but the dominant element is a fairly dark strain of indie. Peter Parker’s Alter Ego is dull both as a song and a performance; the more energetic Sirens is far better and the highlight of the set, using Dougy’s voice – the band’s main asset – to good effect. In the end there’s nothing desperately wrong with The Temper Trap, but there’s nothing desperately right either.