The last time Midnight Juggernauts played in Adelaide lead singer Vincent half expected the crowd to pelt rotten fruit at them – or so he admitted last Thursday night at The Gov. Thankfully, the more recent gig was a welcome return to form for the Melbourne indie powerhouse.

The night kicked off with local four-piece Steering By Stars. I arrived at The Gov managing to catch their last few tracks. Their songs were interesting, very ambient and Sigur Ros-ish with cool use of what I believe was a glockenspiel. Intense is one word I’d use to describe their last track – an epic laced with haunting keys. It’s a pity there wasn’t more people there to check Steering by Stars out, as The Gov was largely empty when they wrapped up their set.

Next up were Sydney indie rockers Dappled Cities. Having found their music to be a little bland in the past, I wasn’t expecting much from the five-piece. The early part of their set seemed to confirm my feelings about their sound – a little too soft. It felt as if something was missing, despite the band trying their energetic best. Their plight wasn’t helped by the ambiguous crowd on the only half-filled dancefloor. But something happened midway through the set and it coincided with the masses filing in towards the stage. Their songs seemed to become quicker, more dancey and electronic, and the frontman began to scream into the mic with a passion I hadn’t heard on any of their other tracks. They won me and the rest of the crowd over. Their last track proved an absolute banger – a highlight of the night. At one point the singer joked ‘if you didn’t like any of the new stuff we played tonight let us know and we won’t put it on the album.’ I say keep the heavier new stuff coming!

As for the the Midnight Juggernauts, it was a vintage performance from a group who has been at the forefront of their genre in Australia over the past five years. Opening track Shadows , recent single Vital Signs and Tombstone garnered a huge response from the crowd, as did their encore track – arguably their most popular – Out into the Galaxy . Having seen the band four times before, I’d rate this one in my top two in terms of overall sound and witty banter. Throw in the intimacy The Gov brings to a show and you’ve got a pretty satisfying Thursday night in anyone’s books. Kudos Juggers’.