This evening I headed down to the Oxford Art Factory for one of their "hey come check out these hot new bands we really like at the moment" advertised gigs. This isn't the first time I've headed to one of these things, though I was hoping for an improvement on last time noting the caliber of some of the bands on show tonight including some old heads, an interstate traveler as well as some international flair.

Recently arrived from France, 6 Noir have decided to pull up stumps and move base to Sydney, which as we all know is a great music city! So why not hey? Anyhow despite this fact you will be happy to know they sing in English and have approached their hard rock leanings from 50 years past entwined in the inescapable influence of modern day post punk. An impressive set I must admit, a tight good sound and a good look and stage presence. The only other shame was the lack of crowd interaction. The bass player sometimes looked like he was playing in his bedroom and not realising there was a crowd (albeit a small crowd) out front. A short sentence now and then from someone wouldn't have been too much to ask either.

Evil J & Saint Cecilia showed up next and completely flipped the mood of the venue. A soft mellow psychedelic folk duo with some great voices and harmonies. The duo is made up of Eliza J Barnes, a previous collaborator of Liam Finn. And Cecilia Herbert from Guineafowl. A very alluring set. Sometimes simple though always sweet, this duo sound great together and certainly would scare no punters away. I think they intrigued a few.

Next up are Peppercorn and it was easy to notice that this was by far the largest crowd of the evening. We have all experienced the "I don't care about the early acts, I'll show up late" approach, not one entertained by me. Though I can't say I'm as familiar with the "OK the support act is over lets go home" philosophy that I experienced tonight. For those curious as to the crowd, simply, all the Red Riders fans are sad for the loss of their once favourite band and so are looking at soon to be ex bass player Matt Chapman's new band for inspiration. I don't think they would have been too disappointed. Peppercorn play a blend of pop rock, with a nice noise pop feel to their live sound. The crowd were really enjoying this to the point where I was asked "Who are these guys? They are really good, do they have an album?". Expect to see these guys playing around the local Sydney traps this year and if you get the chance to see them, I would recommend having a gander.

Betty Airs. Gee what can I say? It's the third time I've had the pleasure of seeing these lunatics play a show. Why? Simply because they are fun. Pop punk rock is the drill here. There is some ex Gerling in this band but who cares, Betty Airs are their own monster and you won't find a band in Sydney that has as much fun on stage as these guys do. Perhaps a little subdued tonight compared to normal, they still got the crowd dancing and are a great party band.

After traveling up from south of the border Baptism of Uzi decided there was nothing better to do tonight than have a real go at following such a strong support list and certainly didn't hold back. What better to finish than with a dose of psychedelic acid rock, whatever you want to call it. Their sound just envelopes the room and orders your limbs to move. They provide a thick layer of distortion, layers and mellow drum beat that slowly builds to an insatiable climax.

All in all an entertaining evening with noone I would complain about seeing again, I may even make an effort to do so. It's nice to see quality new bands and new music developing with such abundant health. Its just a shame all our local acts had to be outdone by a group of Mexicans, though I am sure we will return the favour very soon.