In the words of Heath Ledger's Joker, "Why so serious?". Leader Cheetah have brought their debut album The Sunspot Letters to Brisbane tonight, but it seems they've left their smiles in Adelaide. It's strange to witness singer Dan Crannitch state, "In the words of The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy: Best. Audience. Ever”, without a hint of humour, but it appears that seriousness is part of the Spunk act's shtick.

The venue's compact layout finds the band forced into the corner of a packed main room: the rhythm section on a slightly-raised stage, while Crannitch and fellow guitarist Dan Pash are eye-to-eye with the first row from behind a flimsy cordon. Joel Cradditch has the rare ability to demand the majority of our attention while frequently nailing precise fills from behind his minimalist kit.

Leader Cheetah’s country-rock leaps at the listener on record, thanks to US producer Kramer, but the missing touches of piano, banjo and horns find the band's live sound somewhat stripped back. At the heart of each song is Crannitch's lazily-strummed acoustic guitar and unmistakable warble, which has echoed far across the nation as a result of triple j rotation. But their decision to air lead single ‘Bloodlines’ just three songs in hints at their refusal to be defined by a single song, perfectly-weighted though it may be. Its piercing lead lines and the memorable "blood is only half to blame" refrain would capture attention even if it wasn’t ubiquitous, but it's not their strongest song tonight.

That’s left to ‘Fly, Golden Arrow (part 2)’, which functions as both album and set closer. At seven minutes, it’s indicative of their overwrought country-rock sound, which slow-burns toward a sublime instrumental conclusion. The effect of the key change at the six-minute mark is extraordinary. As forgettable as the rest of the set might have been, the sheer power of that final four-chord progression overrules what came before it.

by Andrew McMillen