It is not a rare thing to see Gomez playing in Australia. This year however, as part of the Splendour sideshow bonanza, they mosey on down to old Sydney town. Tonight they played The Metro. Gomez have come a long way from winning the Mercury Prize with their debut album Bring It On 13 years ago. In fact, they have only two months ago released their seventh longplayer Whatever's on Your Mind. It may well be true that their record sales have dwindled with each successive release, however with such a back catalogue you expect an entertaining show.

Leader Cheatah open tonight to what is initially a small early crowd for a sold out show. As a band they are rather mature and surprisingly tight as they meander through their folk ballads. Hailing from Adelaide you can't help but feel an American style sound to this act. Perhaps Band of Horses is an apt genre comparison. No one could say they blew away the crowd, not by any means. However they were a solid opening act with a nice full sound and mellow accents.

Gomez on the other hand have no trouble when it comes to motivating an audience. Opening with "Shot Shot", which is common for them of late, they get the show off to a roaring start then to my pleasure they move into old single "Bring It On". (Do not be fooled, this was not a track on the album of the same name). You can feel the aura capturing the venue and you can see why Australian audiences love these guys so much. The real clincher for the first part of the night however came from the first album. "Get Myself Arrested" had the crowd in full voice. You see many bands trying to coax their crowd into this. Gomez had no option but to just accept it. An Incredible experience.

The set continued along this road. There were only three new singles played along the course of the evening. "That Wolf" and title track "Whatever's on Your Mind" were both quiet points in the show however the songs themselves show consistant form. The third song "Options" on the other hand was received as per the rest of the set and will be a welcome addition to their future live arsenal. Otherwise the night was a slew of singles rolled one after the other filled with the odd rare gem like "Waster".

The band rotate between their three main vocalists. The cruisey Ian Ball, the powerful Ben Otterwall and the melodic and vibrant Tom Gray. Duties are shared rather equally and it just adds that extra level of variation that makes Gomez so enjoyable. It wasn't just the early and the most recent played of course. "Sweet Virginia", "Notice" and "Airstream Driver" all from mid to late career still actually managed an impressive crowd reaction even though not even charting in Australia. It is certainly rewarding to see a live band with such energy that could choose between 30 songs and still make the crowd happy.

It is great seeing how this band own the stage. Ben in centre tonight with his booming voice bringing screams from the bleachers. Ian and Tom balance him well on each side, but it really is Tom that energises the masses. Invoking applause and singing whenever he is not required to play or sing himself. We move into the encore and are gifted with "Whippin' Piccadily" which brings the Metro to full life, smiles and satisfaction. With such a great live show which has expanded on what I saw once a decade ago. I cannot understand why I have never bothered to see them every other time they have been here and certainly won't miss them again.

Review Score: 8.5/10