Last Saturday, the third installment of the oddly titled Brown Paper Bag hit Melbourne, this time on the sticky floors of The Ding Dong Lounge. Unlike most third installments, this entry promised to be even more epic than ever before, with no Ewoks or a young Sofia Coppola anywhere in sight.

Northeast Party House opened proceedings with a set that sounds exactly like you would expect given their title. The set was filled with cheesy synths, big bass rhythms and a great big strobe on full blast. Had they appeared at (let's say) Pony in the 2am they would likely have been met with frenetic dancing and applause, but at 8 o'clock with a largely empty, not to mention sober room to work with they didn't have much to work with. Still, they've gotten far in the few short months since their inception, and there'll no doubt be plenty more opportunities for them to bust out some drunk-friendly dance tunes.

Up next were East Brunswick All Girls Choir, a quintessentially Melbourne band- low key, super cool and just well known enough that you  avoid telling certain people about them just in case they get too popular and you don't get the credit for having heard of them first. Ryan Caesar, drummer for the fast-accelerating Children Collide appeared behind thedrumkit, prompting a few knowing murmers through the crowd.This was compounded by lead singer Marcus Hobbs introducing their first song as Jelly Legs, the new Children Collide single. Hobbs laughed through the ensuing confusion from portions of the crowd. Their on stage banter was surprisingly friendly and cheerful, which was at odds with their intense shoegaze sounds. Never has a band been so casual and so furious all at once. If you're still waiting for My Bloody Valentine to release some new material you could do far, far worse.

If you once owned an 8-bit video game console that went on to gather dust in a cupboard somewhere, you can stop mourning their loss. It's grown up, discovered drugs and joined The Parking Lot Experiments. With a heady-yet-adorable mix of lo-fi synth, drums and bass, they won over the crowd via the mediums of  killer beats and boundless enthusiasm. When a band informs the audience that their synths are new and they're trying to make sure that they don't explode like they did last week, you know you're in for a good time. They even managed to get a dance floor started when two of the band members, during a section where they weren't playing, ran to the side of the stage and did what can only be described as the hook, line and sinker dance. They've got a new album coming up called 'The Squeakquel', which is almost as good as Electric Boogaloo, so go find these guys and have a boogie.

Warehouse superstars Rat Vs. Possum were beset with technical problems at early on, perhaps due to the sheer quantity of instruments on stage. But it was well worth the wait, as the second they started a rumble went through the room with an intensity normally found in the gaps between tectonic plates. As the five piece swapped between guitars, drums, synths and screaming the end result was  like the soundtrack to 'The Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii' if it was recorded in Hell.  Singer Daphne Shum gave the noise a fine, sharp point with her extraordinary singing, such is its power that her voice alone may one day raise the dead. Bring a sick friend, they'll get something out of it.

Once Rat Vs Possum were finished there was a significant shift in the crowd. Dozens of  peroxide blondes appeared from nowhere, vodkas in hand as they ran to find the fast-dwindling real estate around the stage. The men followed close behind, in  a wave of pre-faded checks and chartered-accountancy robin's egg blue.  With iPhones at the ready, Johnathan Boulet took to the stage. Reports of his talent were well founded, as his fast paced and rhythmic guitar was the hallmark of a much older musician. His entire band kept up, effortlessly moving between the melodies of their upbeat and cheerful indie pop. There was a palpable sense of disappointment as Boulet told the audience that he had to make it quick, and due to the technical delays and extensive lineup the band played a set barely 20 minutes long. While the other bands were more than worth the price of entry, it was clear that many Boulet fans did not agree. 

As Brown Paper Bag number 4 has already been announced, perhaps the organisers could consider either a venue which allows for a later finishing time, or having fewer bands on the bill. They are so close to creating the perfect band showcase, and it would be a shame to be let down by organisation and technical cock-ups.