Last night The Cluny 2 was treated to two stellar Aussie acts in both The Rions and Pacific Avenue, who are a double act you’d be unfortunate to miss as they make their way around the UK this autumn .

We’ll start with The Rions, the ‘support’ act for the evening, a word we use liberally due to the sheer quality they displayed. They demonstrated that they could easily have headlined a show, two or three times this size,  and have looked perfectly at home.

One of the very first things we noted were the  vocals of Lead singer/ bassist Noah Blockley, as in how seamlessly they transferred from studio recorded tracks. Often you’ll find a marked difference in live Vs recorded sound, for The Rions this certainly isn’t the case as the quartet dripped with musical talent and understanding.

Each person in the group pulled their weight and did their jobs close to perfection. From the formerly mentioned Noah on bass and vocals, both Harley Wilson and Asher McLean on guitars, but most especially Tom Partington on drums. The drummer was superb, never dropping a beat, upping the tempo and elevating the performance with it.

On stage they clearly share a special bond and sense of kinship which is highly contagious, drawing In the audience and making everyone feel a part of the performance. It’s a truly special experience that many struggle to replicate, and just demonstrates why they are such a unique and gifted group.

Now we move onto the headliners for the evening, the lads from Gerringong, New South Wales, who formed in 2017, and have since emerged as one of the most exciting bands from Australia. Tonight they made clear why this is the case.

Most performances are like a Google translation, the message and essence are there, but the nuances and heart of what you want to say can be muddied. However for Pacific Avenue this wasn’t the case. The vocals were like audible silk, as if they’d been printed from Spotify and poured into your ears; there was minimal, if any, drop in quality.

Despite their several ‘slow’ tracks, even to their own admittance, the entire atmosphere of the set was one of sheer positivity. An air of just pure optimistic energy, that forces a smile upon your face no matter how you felt before hand. The set just left you feeling better about everything you could ever have to feel negatively about.

This is in no small part thanks to the aura the group have on stage, led especially well by main vocalist Harry O’Brien. We are all accustomed to the brooding, serious, and intense indie front man, O’Brien is not that. He is a breath of fresh air, an uplifting, happy and overall enjoyable stage presence; someone who truly loves what he does.

The entire gig in itself was an overwhelmingly buoyant and delightful experience. The duo of Aussie bands did an excellent job to manifest such a feat so far from the stage and crowds they are used to.

There are only a few gigs left on their current UK tour but we strongly suggest you go out of your way to catch these two live.