To me, Eskimo Joe just seemed to be one of those typical Australian bands that climaxed fairly early on in their career, and then dulled out not soon after.. but you know what, maybe I was wrong. I can’t rely too much on my thoughts from back in the day when I listened to crappy mainstream radio. I love to be proved wrong, and this gig satisfied and delivered...

Eskimo Joe’s gig at the Enmore Theatre started with a support band by the name of Frankie & The Heartstrings - and they were like a cheap copy of Two Door Cinema Club. They have a decent sound, but in my opinion they’re a better recorded band than a live band. Their musicality is great, and they offer something a little bit more exciting in their music than what is commonly floating around the industry these days.

However, to be honest, their live performance was definitely lacking; their crowd involvement and interaction was a little dull, there was too much reverb going on (which sucked most of the ‘tightness’ out of their music which a band of this sound could do well with emphasising) and overall it didn’t feel as though there was any real feeling surrounding their performance.

If you’re into some serious English poppy rock, check these dudes out. They released their debut album in February this year, and it’s not half bad!

Eskimo Joe graced the crowds presence with big indie hairdos and wearing the skinniest jeans I’d ever seen on men. So initially, I was ready for my preconception to be proved correct, however something had always intrigued me about Eskimo Joe... so here’s the verdict.

Eskimo Joe are pretty much flawless live. Their live sound is almost the spitting ‘image’ of their album recordings with enough variation to keep them sounding fresh. Their musicianship is outstanding. They are incredibly entertaining. They make GOOD jokes. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and they are incredibly tight. All this taken into consideration, they are such a joy to watch live.

One thing did bother me a little, for every song it seemed as though they were using the same drum beat. Whilst the drummer goes pretty hard, there was nothing exciting about the drumming - and this is something that I personally look for at live gigs. There’s nothing better than a bit of technicality, and this is something that I felt they lacked a bit.

Their set list was marvelous. They played a lot of their older stuff like ‘New York", "London Bombs", "Sarah", "Black Fingernails Red Wine", "Foreign Land" and "From The Sea", and as this was the release tour for their new album Ghosts of the Past, they also played a few tunes off it like "Echo", "When We Were Kids" and "Speeding Car". I would have liked to hear more tunes off their new album, but overall it was a pretty good set list.

Eskimo Joe are a very solid band, and their music translates really well from their recordings to a live performance; if you like their albums, you’ll definitely love their live performances. I’m giving this gig a 7/10. They’re very decent.