It seemed like just another Friday night. The only difference was that this was an eagerly anticipated event. Sons of Rico were putting out there first album and by all efforts the night promised to be a corker.

First up was Sonpsilo Circus. These guys appear to have borrowed liberally from the book of Tame Impala. Not only do they play psychedelic rock that could be straight from the ‘60’s, they have the haircuts to match. After a lengthy jam the first song started and then the mayhem did too. The first three songs ran together without the band catching a single breath; that’s how into it they were. A big problem was the sheer noise coming from frontman Peter Leveson-Gower’s amplifier. His tone is like a hybrid of Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower, processed in such a way that it may give listeners the munchies. Leveson-Gower’s seeming embrace of chaos applies to his guitar playing as well, which tends to rely on noisemaking rather than melody. Nevertheless, given Perth’s current love of everything psychedelic, it shouldn’t be long before these guys are playing on much bigger stages.

Next up was Luna Parade.  Unlike the previous band, Luna Parade were a much tighter proposition. Songs like ‘Adult’ and ‘Joseph’ were made to dance to and the band members brought their own dance moves to the show. Drummer Darrell Sundai also gets a special mention for his innovative skin-work. Luna Parade are a good proposition if you need something to dance to that’s not too heavy.

By about 10:20 the fans had started to fill into the Rosemount. This was when Boys! Boys! Boys! hit the stage to pump out some synthylicious pop. What followed had to be seen to be believed. Vocalist Bridget Turner, backing vocalist/keyboardist Jerico Wallace and backing vocalist/sometime bassist Janelle Morse much all be linked to the same brain. Such is the tightness of their vocal harmonies and dance moves. Songs like ‘See Ya Later Lovie’ and ‘Super Nintendo’ made the fans dance, and in some cases do the splits! It all came to a head for ‘Get Your Babe On’, where the band invited the fans onto the stage for a dance off. It’s appropriate that Wallace was wearing winged shoes, because there’s only one place this band is going. Up.

It was hard to see how Sons of Rico could follow a set like that. But a quick dose of ‘Miss Adventure’ and the fans were quickly reminded whose album launch it was. The band tore through a massive 13 song set at breakneck speed, with frontman Alex MacRae in fine form. MacRae is no slouch as a guitarist either, as he and fellow guitarist Glenn Sarangapany lit up songs like ‘Clever Girl’ and ‘Orange Skies’ with fancy fretwork. The band’s slower songs, like ‘In the Morning’ and ‘Not Quite Right’ allowed keyboardist Brett Murray to shine. A highlight was current single ‘This Madness’, which featured solos from both MacRae and Murray. The band finished off with ‘Orange Clouds’, which finished in a massive wave of sound. 13 songs, five guys. One unforgettable gig.