After a beautiful Good Friday in Edinburgh, a sold out Sneaky Pete’s sees Australian indie-punks, Press Club, play their first headline show in Scotland.
There are two local bands up first. Nasari get things underway with synthesised keys leading the melody on the opener, surrounded by the band’s indie rock sound. It’s their most accomplished song with strong musicianship all round and some excellent vocals. The band are then plagued by some technical difficulties. The backing singer’s mic stops working and the wrong guitar pedals are used resulting in some screeching feedback through the speakers. The set is reasonably diverse in terms of musicality but no doubt hampered by the technical trials of live music in small venues.
Puppy Fat take over, playing a more fun brand of indie music. It’s a slicker set; they just seem that little more comfortable. There’s an adolescent confidence to them as they blast through a half hour setlist consisting of songs about, in their words, “feeling heavy gash.” They make good use of the three vocalists on stage and there’s a lot to be said for a band who just look like they’re having fun.
Then, coming from Melbourne, is Press Club, who launch into a set mainly populated by material from their 2018 debut, Late Teens. The band exude confidence, fun and huge amounts of energy. Lead singer, Nat Foster, bounds around the stage with her rough and honest vocal delivery, making her way into the crowd on occasions to bring her passion directly into the faces of the audience. The band seem to grow in stature as they continue, getting more and more excitement from the crowd with each passing punk-charged indie song. They show great appreciation for being given the opportunity to take their music to the other side of the world, and sell out that venue in the process, despite having just one album.
Final song, Suburbia, is the standout moment, slower in nature with a huge joyful chorus that is incredibly difficult not to sing along to. An encore is demanded and Press Club oblige, playing the classic Buzzcocks song, Ever Fallen In Love.
Musically, Press Club are by no means the finished article but there is more than enough from their album and live show to suggest that this is a band to look out for in the future.