The night was young at heart at a spectacular venue that considering its past guises, former glories and history is really only a few months old. It played host to three talented young Australian bands, all of whom boast members whose musical knack; talent and outright proficiency at their chosen instrument far exceed their actual years.

First up were Glass Towers AKA something that started as a project in Benjamin Hannam’s bedroom before turning into a full-blown band effort. Sound familiar? Well, it certainly is a similar trajectory to that of the headliners. On this particularly wet spring night in Sydney these 2010 Triple J Unearthed High Finalists performed to a smattering of people – a damn shame as it was a really good set.

“Castles” saw the quartet offering some catchy guitar riffs, cheeky bass and pumping drumbeats. Musically, it seemed to share a few things in common with Kaiser Chief’s “Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)”. It also boasted an earthy, visceral quality too. Nice.

Singer/guitarist, Benjamin Hannam may have looked like a young Bernard Sumner (particularly in his attire) but his vocal delivery in “Lino The Lion” seemed a lot like Kurt Cobain’s. I defy you to listen to this up against “Come As You Are” and not see the similarity. There was also the rock-dream haze of The Vines evident in “Gloom,” which wasn’t as dark as the name suggests. Heck, even Sam Stearne and David Williams from Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! were bopping up and down like two mischievous schoolboys. In short, the music was retro-tinged, jolly and catchy and boasted interesting lyrics, all excellent ingredients if I do say so myself.

Musically, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! seemed to share a few things in common with the first act, especially their penchant for toying with sounds synonymous with another time period. While singer, Caitlin Duff seemed to hold her own amongst her band of merry men, comparisons with Blondie seemed almost appropriate. The two leads can belt out a sultry vocal but they probably share a lot more in common when you think of Debbie Harry fronting a band of punks (or at least guys playing guitar heavy music then their pop hits) as these youngsters certainly now how to play a good rock song.

There were some excellent boy/girl, call/response contrasts in “Little Cowboys, Bad Hombres,” all seemingly well fused and tight. It should come as no surprise that the comedy duo of Stearne and Williams mentioned earlier were certainly the most fun to watch during the band’s set, with smiles never seeming to leave their faces and enthusiasm in spades.

The music at times seemed rather psychedelic and dream-like but remained catchy enough so as not to leave the listeners off with the stars or in some other such haze. On “Panther Shrine” Duff seemed to resemble Karen O effecting pure cool but the music was a lot more rocking, think like Little Birdy. The remaining tracks boasted some Shadows-like, 60s guitars on speed and “Phantom Of Lakes” was like a number by The Superjesus. Finally, “Absolute Hypnosis” seemed like the answer to Blondie’s “Rapture” with its soft, slow-burning balladry culminating in a rather muted ending as each member slowly shuffled off stage leaving Stearne at the drums to ultimately finish the job off.

Now Guineafowl seem like too nice a band with their clean-cut, feel good tunes to be associated with anarchy but that was certainly what things felt like tonight. Before they even started there were some impressive ping pong tournaments during the breaks with one wag doing an outstanding job not spilling a drop of beer while playing and even volleying a few shots off the walls. Then the roof started leaking when the band played but this didn’t seem to faze the bartenders who were getting jiggy with it while they worked. We’re not just talking about nodding their heads – oh no – frontman, Sam Yeldham had promised beer rations to the best dancer and these guys didn’t need any cajoling (or beer, to be honest) because they were certainly going a little mental. And to think this all happened before the cops – specifically the drug squad complete with canine – turned up. Weird.

The group began with a shiny pop number before the sublime indie goodness and synth-laden frenzy of “Little Fingers”. Bassist, Lachlan McQueen kept placing his bass up high as if it was some sort of offering or perhaps it was to rival the bartenders who had their own arms up in the air. Clearly pleased with the reception and love in the room, Yeldham asked, “How good is this venue?” before they launched into a new track that had hints of the Eurythmics’ sound. They would follow it up with another 80s-tinged number complete with pop sensibilities. With hints of The Bangles and Dexys Midnight Runners, it certainly made this child of the eighties very proud.

“My Lonely Arms” saw Yeldham and the group’s sweetheart of a keyboardist, Imogen Harper share a moment, singing together. The fact they were singing lyrics like: “So I’m saying, so I’m saying that I can’t go a day without thinking that you’re f**king my brain” only made it more hilarious. No matter anyway, because with music like that you could almost see people pulling out monkey or fish moves in style. Harper certainly knew this, that’s why she said she wanted us all to dance. Only problem was that the following song was a theatrical oddity known simply as “Mothr”. It is a track that wouldn’t have been out of place in an early set by the equally weird and wonderful Split Enz back in the day.

But it wasn’t long before the silliness returned for an excellent cover of Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough”. It was driven by Harper’s excellent work on the keys and was just as fun and fresh as the original. Of course, Guineafowl also managed to achieve much of the same brand of bopping warmth with their own material like the smile inducing and Cloud Control-esque “If Every Little Thing Counts”. Then the Fuzz came but it didn’t stop the kids from clapping along to Yarran Hominh’s guitar work that boasted a few things in common with U2’s The Edge.

Yeldham took a moment to reflect on a crazy year that has seen them be like everywhere men and playing in places like LA, Ballart, New York and Maroochydore, among others. But it all started in Sydney with just Yeldham performing alone and trying to capture the sounds to the songs he had swirling around in his own head. It was inevitable he’d have to share this frivolity not just a crowd but with some fellow musicians and we’re glad he did.

The finale of “Botanist” and “The Lie Is” were rousing renditions that really solidified why it is that Guineafowl have notched up such success to date. With their excellent indie pop sounds that make people just wanna shut up and dance, it’s almost like there was pixie dust being thrown about the place that enabled the granting of a thousand wishes. Although one unfulfilled desire for some people may have been the lack of an encore, at least the band can pat themselves on the backs for having granted the wish of seeing original, arty music in a special venue by similarly extraordinary groups of wonderful musicians. Marvellous.