While the city was caught up in World
Cup fever, Adelaide music fans were in for a treat with The Battery
Kids’ launching their debut album We’re Just Hanging While the
Rats All Gather and the Vultures Circle Overhead. 

Local Adelaide band The Amcats
kicked off the night’s proceedings. A two-piece band with a female
drummer and male guitarist, it’s easy to make some initial White Stripes
comparisons. However, with their musical ability and the unique style
of rock they play, you can soon ignore such comparisons. Listening to
their heavy garage rock sound, it’s similarly easy to forget the band only has
two members. Guitarist Shane played solid rock riffs, often sounding
like he’s playing rhythm and lead at the same time. Unfortunately,
the crowd was scarce for their set. 

Next were Melbourne’s Radio Star.
With their catchy pop-infused punk, they managed to entice a few more
people towards the stage. The band had travelled the epic 9-hour trip
to Adelaide earlier that day, but they didn’t let it show in their
set. Their energy and tuneful melodies mixed with the right dash of
rock let them command the crowd and no doubt win a few new fans along
the way. 

Radio Star were closely followed by
local lads The Killgirls. All dressed in black, you could be
mistaken for assuming they were some kind of goth rock band. However,
known fairly well on the Adelaide scene, The Killgirls mix an unlikely
combination of synth-pop and more hardcore punk. The mix certainly works
and they soon had the steadily growing crowd up and dancing. 

Finally, what the punters had been
waiting for – The Battery Kids. By this stage, a solid crowd
had formed and it didn’t take them long to get right into their new
material. Starting the set with album opener Swinging on a Thread,
the band played a powerhouse set. With a sound like that from a 50s
horror movie soundtrack, the set came alive with a theatrical smoke-filled
entrance and zombie go-go dancers. 

The Battery Kids fed off the crowd’s
energy, blistering through new songs The Real Monster, Ancient
Curse, and Ghost Town.  

The band obviously enjoyed the night
and were stoked about the release of their first album. This showed
in the quality of their performance and bass player Tom even managed
to get himself a bit lost in the mosh a couple of times. 

The night ended with an invitation
for a mass stage invasion for the final song. Inevitably, this turned
into Battery Kids karaoke with the enthusiastic crowd in full voice
up on stage. 

Overall, the band played a quality
set of new songs and crowd favourites. The set was theatrical, energetic
and tight. With support from some great local talent (and some boys
from Melbourne, of course), it was a great night.