Private Life - Live @ The Workers Club (Single Launch), May 11

How often can you say you get a CD with the price of entry? In an individual fabric pocket no less, handmade by the headline act's front woman? 

Exactly. But there was more to Private Life's single launch than just a heartfelt trinket. Beginning with some solid support acts.

I, A Man - Live @ Northcote Social Club (EP Launch), Feb 24

As if it wasn’t enough that I, A Man offered a killer sophomore EP, they also provided one of the best line-ups to launch it that inner-Melbourne has seen this year thus far. Namely, a handful of equally obscurely named bands, well, except for opening act Neighbourhood Youth that is.

They don’t have much visual appeal, dressed in plain shirts and shorts, they furrow the typical ‘heads-down’ mode of most fresh faced acts, but nevertheless sound far better than most opening acts should. Particularly given the small crowd, their tight rhythm section – all trebly bass and backbeat drums – suit their indie rock swell nicely. They even get some cowbell action in for Only One, with their other tunes characterised by stop-start dynamics and shuffling, danceable rhythms while frontman John Philip offers some yearning vocals. Their strongest tunes, namely the upbeat Home and hook-driven Stone, have a solid thing going, if not the performative aspect to sell them just yet. Elementally, they’ve got it going, but there’s still some gelling to go yet.