First time to a show at The Loft at UTS on a Saturday night in Sydney. And I would have to say it was definitely a very enjoyable night thanks to the guys at Sandwich Club. The venue is extremely cosy with an outdoor stage (thankfully heated on a chilly night) and an indoor one. A nice bar that was easily accessible and a crowd that seemed to be in a good mood, looking for a night out with a fine lineup of bands for just $15, made everything come together nicely. Headline act was Dave Rennick of Dappled Cities Fly. I wasn't sure going in whether Dave was playing solo or if the set would be in acoustic mode. In the end it was just Dave and his electric guitar. The set was a combination of DCF numbers (Cream, Fire Fire Fire and my favourite Within Hours) and a bunch of songs that have been recorded for a project (I think it was called "The Curse of Company") that will releasing an album next year. Anyway the songs were all very stark and stripped back. There was a quite power to all the music and I really enjoyed the relatively short set. Two songs I especially liked were called "Brother" and "Oar".

New Found Frequency have a recording of a set Dave did earlier in the year.

The second last act were Adelaide's Poly and the Statics. Having heard a couple of songs before hand I was sort of expecting a light and poppy act. But they delivered far more then that. Their set, with two strong lead singers, was strong and varied. Switching from mini epic rockouts to country tinged numbers to melodic pop gems they really impressed me. The four guys (very young by the look of it) were very tight and highly skilled. The last song ("Hide the Bottles" I think) really left a mark on me with its echoes of early Pavement. They have a debut EP "Paper Lanterns" releasing soon and I definitely hope they head back to Sydney soon.
MP3: Nashville Rd
MP3: Symphony

I also caught the set by Chequered Leopards and they were very enjoyable. Although the sound was quite muddy I thought their songs were varied and well written. Driving guitar lines and a tight rhythm section were features. I hadn't heard of them before but I thought they showed a great deal of promise. Unfortunately I missed opening band The Religion, but all in all it was definitely an enjoyable night and a great way to spend a Saturday night.