If we were to take a moment to entertain the possibility of parallel universes, where any reality could exist, it stands to reason there’s a world where The Beatles were a little edgier, a little less kempt, and a great deal more Australian. While we don’t live in that reality, The Gnomes sure do make it easier to visualise. This four-piece garage rock band from Melbourne deliver a familiar sound that stands out in the modern musical climate with an energy that captures a crowd and refuses to be anything but joyful.

When you go to see a band with a name like The Gnomes, you expect a little whimsy. So when you’re greeted by a group of young men who each resemble distinct Stranger Things characters, introducing themselves with thick Australian accents and declaring “We’re The Gnomes” without the slightest hint of irony, you know you’re getting exactly what was promised. Despite dressing as if they’ve just arrived from an ’80s-themed party, the band have a distinctly ’60s-inspired sound, with just enough contemporary edge to fit into today’s music scene.

Playing to an intimate crowd in Nice N Sleazy’s basement, the relatively new band easily grab the audience’s attention from the outset. They deliver tune after tune with just enough audience interaction to build a genuine rapport, largely propelled by their accents and easy-going style.

The punchy set includes tracks from their debut album, including the popular ‘Magic Man’ and the somewhat more mellow ‘I’m Not The One’. Particularly attention-grabbing is the politically relevant ‘Price of Smoke Blues’, lamenting the deepest troubles facing consumers today.

Though there’s a certain uniformity to the tracks that causes some songs to blend into each other, with only a couple truly standing out, the consistency that could grow wearying while listening to an album translates surprisingly well on stage. The fast pace and high-energy delivery help to maintain a steady enthusiasm through the crowd that ensures the cheers and gentle moshing never stall.

By the end of the night, The Gnomes prove unexpectedly popular. When the inevitable cries for an encore begin, the band seem genuinely taken aback. As they awkwardly stand around the stage, apparently deliberating whether they actually can do one — with one member actually mouthing, “What do we even have?” — the crowd continue chanting for more. When they eventually settle on an older song that sounds, admittedly, quite similar to the rest, it’s received with unrivalled glee.

The Gnomes have a safe and easily accessible style that could find their albums sitting comfortably on the shelves of almost any music fan. Though there’s some repetition in their sound, the music has a quality that would fit perfectly on a Shrek soundtrack — and I mean that with the highest respect. With the band only just beginning to make their mark on the music scene, if the Glasgow crowd is anything to go by, there are clearly big things to come.