The spirit of rock and roll is alive and well. It lives inside Silversun Pickups. I have to come to this conclusion after witnessing their blistering, sometimes ferocious set at the Annandale Hotel on Saturday night. Their 2006 debut album "Carnavas" was particularly enjoyed by myself, but I still wasn't prepared for the passion, spirit and excitement that they would bring to Sydney. They opened with "Well Thought Out Twinkles" and the sold out venue was already ready to burst at the seams. Rest was not an option after this. The four piece from Los Angeles tore through their set, upping the ante on every song. Playing "Future Foe Scenarios" and "Kissing Families" back to back was my highlight of the night, but there were many. Of course the familiar opening riff of "Lazy Eye" sent the crowd into a frenzy as the band proceeded to build that song up, tear it apart and then bring it to a crescendo again. The delicious melody of "Common Reactor" was also well received.

A great part of the night was the interaction between the band and crowd. There was a real happy vibe in the audience, which I think the band fed off and delighted in. I would say after playing a number of support dates with Snow Patrol, to play in a small, sweaty pub where you can touch the audience (and they did) would delight the group. Lead singer Brian Aubert was constantly smiling, talking with the crowd, in between wielding his guitar with unbridled ferocity. And the man has stage presence by the bucket loads. Full of charisma, his unique voice could probably be heard in the next suburb as he kept reaching down for that last drop of passion and pain. Nikki Monninger supported him ably on bass and vocals and I was very happy to hear her close with "Creation Lake". Whilst drummer Chris Guanlao tore his drums apart with quite incredible zeal. This band welds melodies hard and fast to pulsating guitar lines. A reminder that music can be beautiful in many shapes and styles. "It's everything that is connected and beautiful. And now I know just where I stand."

Set List (This is to my best knowledge, I stand to be corrected)
Well Thought Twinkles
Melatonin
Rusted Wheel
Waste It On
Little Lover's So Polite
Future Foe Scenarios
Kissing Families
Three Seed
Lazy Eye
Common Reactor

Booksmart Devil
Dream at Tempo 119
Creation Lake