[Couldn’t get a photo I took on the night off my iPhone – it was playing up. So I’m using this press shot instead. It’s probably much cooler anyway.]

On Thursday night, after much adventuring (I found Canberra’s Casino!), I found my way to Transit Bar with the help of my iPhone and some kind bouncers. Walking down some stairs, I handed over $12 to the nice lady at the door – Guineafowl would be more than worth it, I thought. I was right.

I met a friend there, and we then proceeded to make our way into the crowd. We weren’t up the very front, but the stage was small, and from past experience I think the sound would have been better where we were anyway. It wasn’t crowded in an uncomfortable way, but it was nicely packed. There was a solid reception for the band on the third last stop of their tour, and rightly so! Although not incredibly well known in the independent scene (yet!), Guineafowl have begun to earn their metaphorical indie chops with national airplay on triple j and by getting nominations for 2 SMAC Awards. The SMAC Awards are run by FBi Radio in recognition of Sydney’s artists and cultural events, and Guineafowl took out Best Sydney Song for “In Our Circles”!

At about 10.30 the band hit the stage, and they burst through about nine songs over the night. Which is quite a respectable effort for a band launching their debut EP (Hello Anxiety), which only has five tracks itself. Some of the newer unrecorded material sounds absolutely brilliant, especially the song they closed with (can’t remember it’s name unfortunately). It was good to see some of the initially unenthusiastic watchers participate in “Botanist”, the penultimate song in the set, because hand-clapping has never sounded so good – or felt so fun. “In Our Circles” sounded great, and all throughout the night the band were jumping up and down without sacrificing any musicianship (a skill some bands are lacking in). Unfortunately Sam (lead vocals) broke a couple of guitar strings during the first song, but the band recovered – in fact I don’t think they faltered at all – and it was as if nothing had happened.

The band played a solid set, and I think they’ll have definitely won some new fans over. Keep an eye out – if Guineafowl tour near you, rush out and see them.

All in all it was a great night. We got to chat with a few of the band members, and they were really nice. I picked up their EP and a t-shirt, so look out for a review in the near future (of the EP obviously, but the shirt is quite nice too).

If you’re quick you can grab “In Our Circles” for free here!