Anzac Day is a day to remember the sacrifices made by our forefathers, to keep Australia safe and free. There is perhaps no better way to express our respect and admiration for those fine men and women, than to gather together with beer and song in celebration of all that is right and true. And to rock out.

First up were Brisbane imports The Cairos, who were in some ways the odd duck of the evening as they were the only interstate band on for the evening. Coupled with the crowd-unfriendly 7.30 opening slot their set was poorly attended. This is a real shame, as they played a great set. Drawing on some classic fuzzy post-punk riffs the band had a few dedicated dancers who only stopped to applaud between tracks. They also have a song called Batman, which could be the worst thing in the entire world and it would still earn them bonus points. Luckily it's a great dance number with a killer finish, think a dirtied-up Hives and you're halfway there. The Cairos have supported some huge acts in the last few months, so they may once again pop up unexpectedly in Melbourne. Be sure to make them welcome.

Next were Strangers From Now On, a band who've found considerable buzz on gigs alone. As of writing there are no songs available anywhere online, so in this single instance this reviewer encourages you to believe the hype, just this once. Of the many things that are exciting about Strangers From Now On is that they're so new- despite having played only a handful of gigs they sound like a band that's been together for years. All their songs have a palpable energy, a force behind even the quietest moments that compel everyone in the room to shut up and listen. This is in no small part due to enigmatic front man Gabriel Santos, who whispers, shrieks and wails like a man possessed, and one who's having all the fun in the world because of it. Guitarists Aidan Kelly and Tyson Slithers provide a cavalcade of swirling guitars and otherworldly sounds, creating feelings of both excitement and menace which is not unlike finding blue food in the wild. Miranda Holt rounds out the four piece with an expressive drumming style that also helps ground some of the more freeform sections. These guys have everything necessary to get really big, so go see a show now so you can tell your grandkids you were there at the beginning.

Proudly heralded as 'cultish goon-bag rock' The Thod followed with the kind of set they've become famous for in all the best and dingiest pubs around Melbourne, proper bluesy rock  with a beat you can dance to. The eight piece sports five guitars (along with the usual blues accouterments of keys, harp and tambourine) and it's a small feat of magic that it works so well. They may not be reinventing the wheel but once they start those jams your feet will start moving of their own accord and you'll have no choice but to groove along.

Speaking of unusual setups, the first thing you'll notice about Money For Rope is that they have two drummers. The second thing you'll notice is that they rock with the kind of power not often seen outside Japanese cartoons about guys with big hair shooting fireballs at each other. One of the highlights of the evening was the back and forth between the two drummers, at times working together to weave huge sweeping rhythms, at others battling it out ingladiatorial rock combat. The crowd ate it up with a spoon, jumping around between swigs of beer and generally having a damn good time. They were perhaps the most well-received of the evening, and have certainly earned their place on the already-legendary Splendour in the Grass lineup for later this year.

By the time The Demon Parade took the stage Ding Dong Lounge was full to bursting, which made visibility a bit of  a challenge. This didn't matter much, as what came from the speakers was enough stimulation to invent your own new colours. Fresh from a tour with Brian Jonestown Massacre (with whom they share more than a few key influences) were in top form, hypnotizing the crowd with their powers of psychedelia. The set was well delivered, but with no real surprises which is a shame considering the skill of those involved. Still, if this is your thing you're unlikely to find a better local outlet than them.

The show ended with Geelong group The Frowning Clouds, and much has been made of their uncanny similarity to British pop of the 1960's. And yes, their attention to detail is impressive, they even went so far as to fly in their accents from Liverpool. However, all this finery falters once they begin to play, like the musical equivalent of the Emperor's new clothes- under scrutiny it all disappears, leaving precisely nothing in its place.

It's like this: every high school had that one kid who did nothing but quote Monty Python all the time. Sure, they were funny for a while, his accents were pretty good so you could laugh along as he did the 'your mother was a hamster' bit for the 50th time.  But when every conversation was just an opportunity to start doing quotes again you had to resist the urge to strangle him to death. What made it so difficult is that Monty Python were geniuses, giants of their field, and his endless spouting-off of one liners was missing a vital point: Monty Python used to be dangerous.  Monty Python were doing something nobody else was doing , they were original and political and daring and clever all at the same time. Simply put, Monty Python mattered, and when you reduce some of the greatest comedy ever made to a bunch of lines to impress your friends you diminish their value , you make them less interesting for people who may not have seen their original material and you do your own heroes a disservice by failing to produce any new ideas as they once did so many years ago.

If this analogy makes no sense to you, substitute every instance of 'Monty Python' for 'Ray Davies'.

Find out more about all the above artists:
THE FROWNING CLOUDS – http://www.myspace.com/thefrowningclouds
THE DEMON PARADE – http://www.myspace.com/thedemonparade
MONEY FOR ROPE http://www.myspace.com/moneyforrope
THE THOD – http://www.myspace.com/thethod
STRANGERS FROM NOW ON – www.myspace.com/strangersfromnowon
THE CAIROS (BRIS) http://www.myspace.com/thecairos