Live Review: Coming Up, Not Down

Jack River wasn't too far off the mark when she touted I OH YOU as the best label to be on. Curating a line-up of new label signings and up-and-comers, Coming Up, Not Down teased us with short, snappy half-hour sets. Luckily, Oxford Art Factory enabled punters to easily flit between the bar and main stage, ensuring no acts were missed.

Sydneysiders Sunscreen were up first in the gallery bar, with a sizeable crowd turning out to get their dose of UV protection which the four-piece served in the form of dreamy guitar pop. Vocalist Sarah Sykes was off-key at times, but this was mostly masked by other melodic sounds.

On the main stage, Brightness, moniker of Alex Knight, was drawing a crowd with his dulcet tones. Flirting between swoon-worthy falsettos and swirling choruses, Knight held our attention. The epic and danceable Oblivion closed the set while, over in the bar, Shearin' were emitting a very different vibe - circa 1980s pub rock. Their Aussie larrikinism and DIY sound was lost on some, but most warmed to it.

One-man show Mossy was sans band this evening as, apparently, they all called in sick before the show. However, this didn't phase Jamie Timony as he chose to do a karaoke version of his set instead, with psychedelic track Electric Chair proving he has the makings of a superstar.

Meanwhile, things were really starting to heat up in the gallery bar with four-piece band Body Type. The bar was packed and we were excited to hear the melting pot of genres being pumped out. Some tunes harped back to a Riot Grrrl vibe, while moments of sweetness among the garage-pop sound were also detected. These girls are ones to watch.

Since Green Buzzard burst onto the scene in 2015 they have only been on the up, and tonight's set was a testament to that. Powering through the most energetic set of the night, the fuzzy, fun, shoegaze rockers really got the crowd and a mosh pit going (to what the band called a 'pop song'). Known tracks Do You Ever Glow? and Dream In/Out received a great crowd response and really got our dancing shoes on the move.

Jack River aka Holly Rankin was a faultless and natural headliner for this evening. In addition to producing songs that would be perfect additions to any road trip playlist, Rankin and band showed their teeth as accomplished performers. The crowd really dug Dream Girl and Talk Like That, to the point where there were crowd members dancing on stage and crowdsurfing - to which Rankin's response was "we aren't Violent Soho". However, the funniest moment of the entire night was awarded to their cover of She's So High; as expected, crowd sing(scream)alongs ensued. The half-hour set didn't do them justice, but proved Rankin is a star in the making.