Locals Max Chillen and The Kerbside Collective take the stage first. They are a five piece art pop outfit. Max (Darcy Rhodes) has an amazing voice. The band has a punchy, driving, Joy Division-esque rhythm. They played a short set but it was tight, though without many in the still young crowd around to enjoy it. The group are young themselves with a beautiful energy. You could see it in keys player Amber Ramsay’s smile. They are damn gorgeous, a great find! As soon as they were done  I was looking forward to checking them out again.

Next up are more locals, Baskervillian, the crowd favourite of the night. A very solid four piece guitar based outfit with passion driven in English roots, just lovely and rocky like Led Zep meets Floyd with local tones. I was impressed but felt like I'd heard it all before. Playing to half a room of young things, who left prematurely (clearly their musical horizons have not yet been broadened) but hopefully in order to see another great act around town because they missed the brilliant next act and the main event.

Shining Bird is a six piece boasting the full gamut of instrumentation. They have such an impressive, warm, dreamy charm to them. From guitars to chimes - a heady mix of brilliance. From the get go they deliver beautifully on their unique brand of Australiana 'Eucalyptus Pop'. This was the first leg of their Aussie tour promoting their new single Helluva Lot. The Foundry is such a great room, it was disappointing to see such a decided lack of punters around to witness such an impressive act.

Ably supported by the rest of the band, Dane Taylor (vocals and guitars) sings his heart out and emanates a beautiful energy. Dane’s deep, rich voice belts out tunes diverse of very Australian themed pop. One shouldn't have to compare - Dane has a voice reminiscent of Matt Berninger from The National, so much so that the boys played a cover of by the groups’s Bloodbuzz Ohio.

A particular stand out was Al Webster on lead guitar, playing precisely and craftily. He is truly amazing as a lead, especially when he came off stage into the dedicated and intimate crowd with a rip roaring guitar solo of small-town but epic proportions. 

Al gave us the performance of a rebel, despite looking a little defeated on stage for a moment. You could catch this notion by looking at all the other players’ faces; they may have felt a little despondent, all members clearly noticed the lack of a crowd. Shining Bird still gave us a good show though - 100% and no less.

Anyway, I enjoyed myself a lot.

If you don't know of Shining Bird they are well worth checking out. The Leisure Coast album is destined to be a lost Australian classic and their new tune Helluva Lot is underrated in my opinion. Have a listen people; Shining Bird is a band you should flock to! A gem in fact.

All in all it was a great gig, apart from the poor turn out on the night. Go see some live music, peeps, you might just get surprised!!

- Albie Allan.