It is a busy weekend of entertainment, with Flavours of Skuzz and X&Y’s second birthday both happening down the road but, at The Zoo this Saturday night, a hearteningly large and appreciative crowd has turned up to see a really exciting night of local music.

With two of the biggest local names in instrumental rock on one bill, the music tonight was always going to be good, but the one problem with instrumental bands can be the visual aspect. It’s only so exciting to watch a group of skilled musicians hunch over their instruments. In an attempt to overcome this, there are projections behind each of the bands tonight and it certainly adds an extra dimension, though I was disappointed to have the bands themselves lost in shadow.

Screens are up first, presenting their mixture of post-rock and shoegaze. The band starts off a little loose, but their apology for faulty technology probably goes a long way to explaining that. After the first few songs, they tighten up considerably and perform quite an enjoyable set. Kate O'Sullivan’s voice is a particular highlight, almost operatic at times, although it works best when merging with the music rather than overwhelming it. Screens never quite reach the explosion that typifies post-rock and it makes one or two songs feel slightly incomplete, but this is still a solid performance and one that marks a band well worth watching.

As the crowd swells, Mr Maps begin their first show since the replacement of departed keyboardist Chloe Cooper with new member Mitch Knox. Wire Empire highlights Nice Fights and Totalism make early showings and suggest that the band has adjusted nicely to the change in personnel; the unusual time-signatures and sudden shifts that are their hallmark all handled with aplomb. The sound in the Zoo is very good tonight as well and every instrument is given its own space, a nice change from the muddier sound that has plagued some of their previous gigs that I’ve caught. The final couple of tracks show that the band hasn’t quite overcome the loss of Ms Cooper yet, but they’re definitely well on their way and they prove once again that when they are on song, Mr Maps are one of the most impressive live bands Brisbane has to offer.

As the bands change over, the crowd shifts as well, groups of Mr Maps fans leaving, presumably off to Flavours of Skuzz, but many more Hazards fans are flowing inside, leading to a nicely busy room before the headliners kick off.

Hazards of Swimming Naked are performing for the last time before heading into the studio to record their next album and they waste no time in justifying their reputation, launching into a sizzling rendition of ...and a whole assortment of uppers and downers. Hazards are a fairly unique band in Brisbane, their brand of post-metal tying them more to the likes of Isis or Russian Circles then any local scene, and tonight they display all the qualities of a world-class act. Incredible precision and powerful crescendos mark their tracks and keep the crowd entranced throughout their opening. A slight move towards ambience in the middle of the set sees a few people wander towards the back to grab a drink, but the two new tracks debuted at the end pump up the tempo again and drag punters back towards the stage. Final track Accept the Mystery even sees a few people off to the side dancing enthusiastically. Though the pirouettes did imply a certain level of irony. Either way, the new tracks slot in nicely amongst their existing material and cap off an excellent night with the promise of even better to come.

- Words and photos by Sky Kirkham