Although technically a sad affair, (as it was to be final of Floyd Marsden’s string of local shows promoting her album The Disco Lizards), the atmosphere in Valhalla was uncharacteristically filled with retro vibes but the usual friendly faces. In support for this show was Adult Friends, spearheaded by vocalist/guitarist Jackson Kidd who was also the producer of The Disco Lizards. Burnt Out Graduate was the other support act, featuring vocalist Max McAlpine who played bass in Floyd’s band. Billy Bathgate was another performer who played in multiple bands, having the difficult role of drumming in opening band Adult Friends, and then in Burnt Out Graduate. Later I learnt the order of the bands was largely decided by Billy wanting to play high energy punk with Adult Friends first, then post-rock inspired Midwest-emo with B.O.G. While on the subject of drummers and guest appearances, Henry McKenzie-Bridle from Spiral and Slow Burn performed with Floyd also.

When I first arrived, I was surprised by the sheer amount of equipment on the relatively small stage of Valhalla. No less than two keyboards, one in the centre of the stage and arranged ninety degrees to the edge, crowded the stage along with amps, and a range of guitars including an acoustic. Despite the lack of space available, Adult Friends began the eclectic night with their characteristic frantic punk defined by angular rhythms and crisp, glassy tones. They performed more than a few new songs, introduced with their original working titles such as ‘new fast song’, along with classics such as the bouncy but paranoia-inducing Brittle and the frantic rebellious anthem of Ryan Gosling.

The crowd loved the energy from the band, particularly the wild, unpredictable swings of lead/noise guitarist Daniel Maslen despite the impressive array of instruments on stage, (some of which were only balanced precariously with stands or just leaning on amps). At one-point, guitarists pushed into one another with a reckless abandon to match the music, but luckily no guitars fell to the floor. The true saviour of the band is bassist Harrison Yates who played smooth, glassy and prominent bass lines which held the songs together and often began tunes. International bands such as Placebo and The National come to mind, with moments of frenzy closer to the sonic abandon of My Bloody Valentine or Sonic Youth, but perhaps held together with the bass parts of Peter Hook.

After a short break, Burnt Out Graduate took to the stage with still relatively new vocalist Max (the band operated as an instrumental band for two years prior to Max joining, and the band’s current style is very much a continuation and expansion of ideas they explored before becoming a five piece act). B.O.G. played their classic blend of post-rock inspired epic chord progressions, along with intricate beautiful guitar lines played by James Lindsey and Brandon Gill. The band's sound, although usually far calmer than Adult Friends, was similarly held together by the inventive and busy bass lines of band leader and songwriter, Sam White. The band took the crowd on a journey, ranging from noisy, improvised sections that sounded free-jazz inspired, to emotional songs that hinted at inspiration from decades like the 90’s (Pavement) and Mid-West 2000’s (American Football) with moments similar to Swans or even Godspeed You Black Emperor!

Finally, Floyd Marsden and her band entered the stage for the evening’s highlighted performance. As expected, the band played songs mainly from The Disco Lizards, only The Golden Club, Hole In My Understanding and Heat Of The Moment coming from her first album, Open Your Eyes. The sound was rich and nicely balanced with conspicuous keyboards, jazzy drumming and funky bass. Guitar, played by Dominic Whipps, was low in the mix but always supportive and appropriate to the song. Floyd also played guitar and keyboards but experienced a few issues with noise from cables. Even after changing one with Daniel from Adult Friends, the problem persisted, but Floyd played on regardless.

The performance showcased upbeat songs like Miss Charmer and She Must Be Fun At Parties and the striking Don’t Worry About Jesus, but the band often alternated these funky grooves with ballads such as The Disco Lizards or Forgetful Type. In every song, there was stylistic sound of an artist reaching for an unknown chord progression or a totally unexpected melody. Often, in Floyd’s compositions, this leads to using melodramatic minor keys for theatrical sounding melodies for voice and keys. Halfway through the set the crowd was surprised and treated to a cover of Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy that owed much to the talents of Floyd’s keyboardist/vocalist Theo Johnson.

After an impressive set of getting the crowd dancing, then close to crying by toying with the extremes of dynamics, speed, energy and major/minor switching, Floyd thanked the band one last time for bringing her songs and vision to life and then thanked the crowd also to rapturous applause.

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