Music blog A Story Never Told presented a night of guitar mayhem at the FBi Social in the Kings Cross Hotel on Thursday night.

Radio National gave the handful that turned up at opening time to some distortion, overdrive, and good old fashioned rock and roll. Unrelenting riffs from the band’s two guitars, bassist and drums created steadily rising excitement, without the need for overwhelming pace. Some well-executed (but predictable) soloing helped assert the band’s rock roots, having been linked to the sound of The Cure and Midnight Oil.

Some punters heeded frontman Dave Kelly’s advice of an “early-night boogie”, but unfortunately, the call was lost on the band itself. The four men on stage seemed mostly nailed to the spot, with the lead guitarist looking especially bored. That being said, it was a pleasantly unpretentious and thankful performance from the Sydney four-piece, so they shouldn’t be faulted – although their on-stage manner could improve.

Next up was hard rock outfit The Bungalows, who belted out a set of similarly rocking proportions. Comprised of four boys from Gerringong, The Bungalows sound like a mix of surf-punk, city-drone, and small-town rock, all at once. The strong, manly vocals round out the solid structure of each song, centred around healthy riffs and loud choruses.

Unfortunately, it seemed many of the building crowd were still out on a smoking break (a colossal effort at the tight Kings Cross venue), or out getting drunk as cheaply as possible (similarly tough in the Cross). Nevertheless, the Gerringong locals gave a spirited, honest, and enjoyably loud performance to those who were there to appreciate them, and seemed to be having a whole load of fun on stage.

With Meow Kapow taking to the stage just after ten o’clock, it seemed it was time for what the FBi crowd had come to see; tight jeans and fast paced indie-rock. The room magically doubled minutes after Meow Kapow began, with quite a few being elicited onto the dance floor, with all showing their appreciation dutifully after each song. The band’s experience showed through solid showmanship and each member playing off the others as a true live rock band should. The energetic 2010 number, “Hell”, got some of the crowd dancing, with band members getting into the action as well. The Sydney group also saw the first use of an acoustic guitar for the night, to be continued by headliners Cabins.

The enigmatic Sydney quartet filled the floor of FBi Social instantly, with driving bass riffs and dark piano melodies. After seeing a younger iteration of this band two years ago at Falls Festival, it’s clear the time has done them well, with a more polished, tight, and better performed result taking the stage Thursday night.

New song, “Catcher in the Rye”, joined disenfranchised tracks like “Hounds”, with strained vocals and overdriven guitars, lulling the young crowd into silent gyrating and slow sways. The croaky post-rock performance by the skinny-jeaned, baggy-shirted longhairs rarely missed a beat.

A spirited cover of Iggy Pop's “Never Met a Girl Like You Before” was by far the best received song of the evening, leading to an honest comment from the front-man, “That wasn’t a Cabins track... but, fuck, I wish it was.” This was followed by the next track with the embarrassed singer announcing, “Just because this is a Cabins song, you can give it a shot for a little bit...” His suggestion definitely worked, with the floor beginning to seethe like demented marionettes with appreciation.

At 11:45, Cabins stopped as abruptly as they started, wishing everyone an enjoyable evening, and hoping that they all had fun. And with that, the crowd filling the claustrophobic FBi Social room dissipated within minutes, off into the night.