In the vein of The White Stripes or The Kills, An Horse make a lot of noise for a little band. An Horse are Kate Cooper and Damon Cox, the Brisbane indie rock duo that supported The Big Pink on Thursday 4 March 2010 at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne. I was impressed with this choice of support act, as An Horse built a great vibe in the room and played a solid set without imposing on the musical territory of the main act to come.

Opening with a soft guitar arpeggio, it only took until the chorus for An Horse to start smashing out a big brand of indie/pop rock which, overlayed with Kate’s beautifully complementing vocal style, sat well with the droning guitar and driving beats. The vocal style of the band reminded me of My Bloody Valentine without the detuning and effects.

Initially Damon’s backing vocals were drowned out in the mix, but this was corrected about half way into the gig. Not knowing the band, it was impossible for me to discern individual tracks and report back here, but An Horses's songs had a dynamic mix of hard hitting rock and softer guitar melodies. They struck me as the kind of band we should be hearing on local and national radio; a truly impressive Australian indie/pop rock act.

Devon’s drum-kit showed a really surprising dynamic range, with the softer parts clear and the harder sections sounding huge. The toms and snare were so sharp and sounded great. The high point of the gig occurred when Devon threw down his drumsticks to sing, and the track resolved into a repeated vocal line by the two of them. It was a catchy hook that really solidified their style and the performance.

My biggest criticism of An Horse is that the band lacks an additional element. As a duo with guitar, drums and vocals, they range over a series of fast and slow, loud and soft, and short and long styles. But they needed another melodic dimension that would highlight and accentuate the music. A well placed melodica or similar instrument, if not an actual synthesizer or keyboard, would provide a refreshing melodic contrast if used sparingly.

The last three songs of An Horse’s set lacked the impact of those at the start, but the band finished what was an impressive set that definitely excited the ever-growing crowd, keen to see The Big Pink get on stage.

There was anticipation in the air to see The Big Pink take the stage. Partly, this was due to an interesting assortment of equipment, including two Marshall amps, a massive bass cabinet and what looked like an industrial workbench of synthesizers and electronics, all mounted on a 4 huge springs. I also expect there was a level of excitement around the fact that The Big Pink are an experimental electronic duo, and the crowd wondered how this would translate into a live act.

The Big Pink are Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, and as a live act they’ve brought on board friends Leo on bass, and Akiko on drums. I have to admit here that I was slightly confused by who was who on stage. Getting back to the internet later that night, I was unsure whether Milo was actually playing synthesizers, as the photos of him looked nothing like the guy on stage. If I am mistaken, then I do apologise.

The Big Pink started with a familiar and surprising opening melody - Cypress Hill’s "I Want To Get High". But they soon resolved into a set of blisteringly loud, complex and experimental noise that was driven largely by Robbie’s insane guitar. Leo’s bass was heavy and distorted and kept the pace of the music at a hyperactive rate, supported by an interesting combination of electronic and live drum beats. This further added to the complexity of the sound.

The electronic components of The Big Pink’s set were distorted, muffled, twisted and repeated in hundreds of ways, giving the sound even more madness. Added to this was a range of melodic and harmonic synthesizer styles, that helped to make the songs more recognisable in line with what is on the album, "A Brief History of Love".

I really enjoyed this gig, The Big Pink are one of the most innovative and exciting sounding bands I have ever seen. This was largely due to Robbie’s huge presence as a front man, and his undeniably awesome guitar skills. His antics included jumping up on the foldbacks and towards the end, when technical problems seemed to be pissing him off, throwing down his guitar. He was exciting to watch and really led the band through an intense and loud musical journey. His vocal style was probably the most consistent element of the set, and aligned the closest with the album.

The Big Pink finished as expected, with their massive hit "Dominos". The crowd went wild for the band during the whole set, and it was easy to see how much everyone enjoyed the show.

It was a relatively short gig, but I’m probably feeling this way because I would have loved to see another hour's worth. After the show, the photographer and I headed over to 161 in Prahran to check out Robbie’s DJ set. I got a chance to say hello and tell them I enjoyed the gig, for which they seemed genuinely grateful. Robbie played some great, old school dance tracks and read the room effectively, keeping the energy high and the bass drum driving.

I have absolutely no criticisms of The Big Pink. The gig was one of the best I have ever been to. They were almost indistinguishable from the band on the album, and you really haven’t heard The Big Pink until you have seen them live.