Just two days ago, the Metro Theatre
was faced with a dark divide: on one side were the loitering,
cigarette smoking hipsters; and the other, groups of chubby
middle-aged men joking loudly and drinking VB. It's moments like
these which bring a tear to my eye, proud of music's role in bringing
all sorts of human scum together. It was, however, a night devoid of
bitterness and elitism, everyone was here to enjoy a good show with
90s britpoppers Ash and indie-rockers We Are Scientists.

In support of the co-headliners was the
kooky young band, Last Dinosaurs. Taking the stage with timid
eagerness, the four Brisbanites launched an incredible set which
showcased their vibrant musical talent. With a sound reminiscent of
The Libertines, or more recently, Babyshambles; Last Dinosaurs played
with ease and experience a set of complete, brilliant rhythms. 

With
such creative young minds given an opportunity to let all their
random, witty thoughts loose, you would expect to end up with a
selection of interesting subject matter in the music: from the
loneliness of Nicola Tesla, to bad tits, to how to surf. Last
Dinosaurs were only given recognition in 2009, but already they're
displaying the qualities and attitude of an experienced, developed
band. With a smiley faced drummer, good-looking band members, and
catchy indie-rock music, there's not much about them that wasn't
great.

First of the head-liners to play was
Ash, I assume to cater the needs of those middle-aged full time
workers. Despite the fact that I was two years old when this band was
formed, I am a massive fan of britpop music, and was able to fully
appreciate their prescence on the stage that night. Opening with “Oh
Yeah”, the band played with the exact energy they possessed ten
years ago, to a room of fanatics just as crazy as they were ten years
ago. Showing off a set of songs from their latest A-Z Series, as well
as a number of hits (“Shining Light” being an obvious crowd
pleaser), with the sticky sweetness of Wheeler's voice, Ash were able
to impress even those previously ignorant of the band. “Twilight of
the Innocents” was a powerful and emotionally charged performance,
and followed by “Burn Baby Burn”, an impeccable end to a
beautiful show.

Finally, stumbling on to the stage
muttering unintelligeble anecdotes with their faggy American accents,
was We Are Scientists. After declaring the absolute “dream come
true, honour, priviledge” it was to play with Ash, WAS sent the
audience into a jumping, clapping frenzy with “The Scene is Dead”.
More entertaining than their music, I found, was their constant
interaction both with the crowd and each other, developing a kind of
intimate friendliness which made the show more pleasurable. It was a
clever tactic, as their music is rather unoriginal and uninteresting,
driving a lot of those who came to see Ash to leave. 

Determined not
to abandon fan favourites from their not so successful albums, WAS
showcased tracks from their latest, Barbara, as well as a number of
songs from the “little second record that could”. It's a bit
ridiculous to outright label WAS as creating “bad” music, their
fanbase clearly differs, but with a severe lack of catchy, thoughtful
music, it's not hard to believe that the audience were more excited
for Ash.