Fresh from a few delicious Splendour In The Grass sideshow experiences at the Prince Bandroom, we entered Billboard last Friday night with a mix of apprehension and excitement. The former turned out to be unfounded, as Friendly Fires dished up one of the most exhilarating shows the venue has seen in some time.

NZ outfit Cut Off Your Hands set the mode with some enjoyable indie pop numbers. To our delight, it was apparent from the get-go that the sound and light crew were on the ball. During my last expedition to Billboard – to catch UNKLE live I found myself lamenting the significant depth of the performance area. The band members seemed disconnected from the audience and the sound and lighting failed to really fill out the venue.

Thankfully Friendly Fires suffered from no such issues. Lead vocalist Ed Macfarlane kept things personal by prancing up and down on the brink of the stage for most of the night. Fans’ elation reached a climax when, just four tracks in to the high-energy set, Macfarlane made a brief foray into the pulsating mass of partiers on Billboard’s dancefloor. Guitarist Edd Gibson would repeat the effort later in the night, although by that time everyone was too wild and sweaty to distinguish him from the next punter. The lighting was modest but effective, neither a distraction nor a detriment.

It’s unlikely that anyone could have been left disappointed with the set-list either. After opening with a few first album favourites including Jump In The Pool and Lovesick, the band went from strength to strength as they treated us to plenty of new album highlights.

Some reviewers have contended that the songwriting on Pala is a cut below that of their self-titled album, but this proved largely irrelevant on the night. Macfarlane’s vocals are more of a vehicle for melody than meaning, and at the tender age of 24 perhaps it’s appropriate that he’s penned simple and sensible lyrics which don’t try to discover the meaning of life. Songs such as encore track Hawaiian Air and crowd favourite Paris, with their powerfully resonating vocal driven choruses, are his masterpieces.

Friendly Fires have got a winning formula – their songs are catchy, well-written, full of energy, and most importantly danceable. And dance we did.