It was good to see so many people at The Zoo on a Tuesday night taking advantage of the Ekka holiday the following day. Maybe they were avoiding the Census that night as well (a good idea in hindsight). That being said, it was still great to see a lot of support for 4 young progressive rock acts. The house music (The Mars Volta, Cog) hinted at the impossibly high calibre I suspect these acts were aspiring to.

The first band on were instrumental act Crow Do Not Loiter Here. The brainchild of guitarist Nikolas Struger, they were playing their first ever show tonight. It was obvious this three piece was based around the aforementioned player’s guitar chops. Lots of wah soloing and a bit of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez-esque guitar throwing put in for good measure. He certainly knew how to use that looper pedal to fill out the sound, though you couldn't help but think he was milking that wah pedal a bit too much. But that's what we're all here for right? Lots of needlessly indulgent guitar noodling? Nevertheless they were a great introduction to the night.

Red In Tooth were up next. Hailing from Gladstone, these guys brought a high dose of energy to the stage. So much so they reminded this reviewer of local energy drink aficionados Osaka Punch, which is saying something. Vocalist and bassist Jasper Webb wasn't afraid to provide some light-hearted banter between songs, including wondering as to what the plural of census is (it's censuses). What the vocalist lacked in vocal range made up for in his fantastic stage presence. Probably the best frontman of the night.

Up next were Qlaye Face from Melbourne who were quite the contrast from Red In Tooth. They brought a slower, more refined sound to the night. Their vocalist certainly was the stand out performer of the band. His beautiful, angelic voice filled out their sound perfectly.

When Kodiak Empire hit the stage, they certainly looked more confident of themselves than last time this reviewer saw them. Back then they were just standing still and looking at their toes the whole time. This time round they were moving around like they were playing in a band or something. Progress! (Is this why it's called progressive rock? har har). I swear it must be a requirement for progressive rock bands to have a shit-hot drummer. Kodiak Empire don't disappoint in this regard. He must have been getting lessons from Thomas Pridgen. This guy gave a masterclass in how to fit as many notes in a fill as you can. Yeah we get it, you're good*. The biggest challenge of the night came when the bass amp decided to crap out. The bassist, with assistance from The Zoo sound guy managed to sort it out with measured aplomb.

The highlight of the set came when they introduced Nikolas Struger back to the stage to sing/yell/scream a number with them. This one seemed a lot more improvised and sporadic than their usual material and a lot more aggressive too. It sure was the most thrilling number of the night. It's great to see bands bringing guests on stage and completely changing things up. I wish it happened more often.

In retrospect it was a great night of needlessly challenging drumming and heavy(ish) progressive rock. Even if it did get a bit complex for complexity's sake, it was preferable to hitting F5 on a browser more times than there are hits in a Kodiak Empire drum fill. I think all in attendance would agree on that.

*While the Thomas Pridgen era of The Mars Volta is thrilling for its' indulgence and technicality, it is by far inferior to the tight, economical, 'I'm only playing what the song demands' Jon Theodore era. Maybe Kodiak Empire can learn something, or stop taking opinionated reviewers seriously.

- Craig Curtis