Posing like something from out of the late 1800’s, the Snowdroppers are the up and coming biggest thing in rock music from Sydney. But, do their live shows support their current legacy? Dave Roberts attends to find out.

There are honestly few bands that I would go out of my way to see that hail from Australia. Even the underground metal scene here is boring, especially in Sydney where everyone is far too ‘cool’ to stand right at the front with the band. And this seems to be an inherent problem all across Sydney with all venues. Unless you somehow manage to sell out, say, the Manning Bar.

Yes, that’s where I was on the 12/11/2010, the Manning Bar at USYD. Why? The Snowdroppers. Now I was fortunate enough to be offered a door entry by their publicist, not that I wouldn’t pay to seem them anyway. After all of the positive stuff I’ve heard about the band I just had to see them live and do their thing on stage. But I had to sit through two other bands before hand. The Delta Riggs were, frankly, a blues rock band. They had little that was very unique or special about them – but they ‘did smash it up’ as our dear friend from punchy would say. They were professional, and even when technical difficulties arose they managed to wing their way through it as if it had been planned. Kudos guys. The next band however, The Beards , were like Jack Black meets folk/rock music. Not Tenatious D style, but close. You see, all of their songs were about beards. Including on willer song "Why a Beard is Better Than a Woman" which had everyone rolling on the floor in laughter. They not only played well, they performed well, and their music was catchy and entertaining. I’ll be back to see them for sure.

Finally, the big guns came out. The Snowdroppers entered the stage to some epic ClubRap music and got stuck into the set. The first song went smoothly and when it finished the crowd roared in approval. And here’s the first criticism. If you have a set for one and a half hours, and only have enough material to cover an hour don’t tell the crowd . That’s a big no-no. This guy says to the crowd ‘oh we have a good sized set for you but we are gunna pad it out just for shits and giggles.’ In fact there was a LOT of padding in their set. Couldn’t be helped I suppose, but still I don’t think I would have noticed as much if they hadn’t mentioned it.

Beyond this however, they played amicably. The band hit all the notes, sung all the right songs and definitely performed well. This was also aided by a great stage design and lighting elements which I’m sure the AU caught on film – go and check it out. They looked the part and did the part well, so good for them. Sadly, however, and this is the second time this has happened recently, the support act has shown up the headliner. If I was giving a band of the night award out, it would definitely go to The Beards just for their ability to get everyone in on the action after the first song. Overall, however, the whole night was great, the Snowdroppers performed amicably, and I would definitely go and see them again.

And you should too.