Bluebottle Kiss have emerged from the way back machine to wow us with energy and song. They’re doing a quick tour around the country, with a seminal line-up of Jamie Hutchings, Ben Fletcher, Richard Coneliano and Ben Grounds. I caught them at Crowbar, Sydney with Knievel and YEEVS.

Full photo gallery shot for AMNplify GIG PHOTOS.

Yeevs

First up tonight were YEEVS, a three piece of drum, bass and guitar/vocals that have been quietly parading around the Sydney scene over the last few years with their folksy, indie sound.

There was emotion in the vocals, with enough space through the set to make them a feature rather than just a tag along fill in. Twangy little guitar riffs added a bit of spice to a few tunes, even venturing into a hint of surf riff territory for a couple of songs.

Have a listen to YEEVS, here.

Knievel

Another 90s band resurfacing to regale us with their unhurried and understated songs, Knievel were playing as a 5 piece tonight to give us the full experience including keys and lots of shared vocals.

The set was full of melodic tunes with soaring vocals and jangly guitar, chugging along like the perfect road trip playlist. There was even some contemplative silence between songs as guitars got retuned and the band reacquainted themselves with the set list.

Crowd favourites Chance Meeting and Thoughts in a Pattern got heads nodding and blissful smiles spreading across faces, and the souring sounds of Emerald City closed out the set with plenty of appreciation.

Revisit the sounds of Knievel, here.

Bluebottle Kiss

The stage gets shrouded with a dramatic red curtain as the band set up, coaxing more and more punters to squeeze to the front of the packed venue. The crowd is a mix of younger and older fans, showing that their music is still burbling along out there or maybe even being passed down like an heirloom.

The curtain parts and there is a dramatic start to the set with Give Up the Ghost, much to the delight of the crowd. The band are in full show mode, wielding guitars like weapons; stabbing at the stage, squeezing and dragging strings, guitar necks and headstocks on any inanimate nearby object to capture a little more noise.

Angst filled songs like Six Wheels, Last Cinema and Running Around the White Picket Fence had bodies writhing in tortured poses on stage and flinging guitars around, emphasising every dramatic, dirge filled sonic attack. All this guitar torture kept the guitar tech at the side of the stage busy, re-tuning and aligning the squadron of Fender Jazzmasters that seemed to come on and off stage with revolving door frequency.

As the night wore on, sweat flowed freely and the writhing and pacing on stage looked more like it was turning into staggering and bumping. By the end of the set, shirts were unbuttoned on all but guitarist Ben Fletcher, who doggedly carried on in sweat soaked shirt and jacket to the end of the set and through a passion filled version of Prussian Blue.

A quick walk off – presumably to towel off and resuscitate – and they were back on, shirts off (apart from Ben), to crank out the sonic filled Gangsterland, an anthemic Hasten the Blows and wrapping up the night with Boredom Your Breaking my Heart, ending up in a crescendo of squealing feedback – as a good night out should.

Remind yourself of their dramatic sound here with a sneak peak of some live footage from the night.