Concrete Playground

There are some great bands coming out of Brisbane at the moment. Not sure what it is, perhaps the fact that they have a healthy but small live scene with a few good venues in Fortitude Valley (hello Sydney City Council, can you help us out and match this?), and that fact that the locals attend shows and are very supportive of their local bands. A few of these acts have done well for themselves, such as The Grates, I Heart Hiroshima and Yves Klein Blue, to name a few. John Steel Singers are one of the next wave of Brisvegas rock'n'rollers, amongst the likes of The Rocketsmiths, The Cairos and Last Dinosaurs.

JSS have put out a string of singles and EPs, with one such single Rainbow Kraut — released by Levi's short lived record label Levity — being heavily spun on JJJ and all over national radio. The band are a breath of fresh air in the somewhat 'meat and potatoes' rock environment in Australia, the six-piece add horns and raucous jam sessions to their music, which always has a fun element. They are just about to release their debut album, produced by fellow Brisbanian and Go-Betweens legend Robert Forster. By the way, Brisbane City Council just renamed a bridge The Go-Betweens Bridge (again, looking at you Clover, how about an INXS bridge?).

Masochist is the first single and this show will be its first outing in Sydney. The wonderful and whimsical Brisbane band Little Scout support.