It’s unlikely the Enmore Theatre has ever catered for such an eclectic mix of fans during a single event in all its colourful history. Young and old, flannel shirts and duffel coats, you could only imagine what the bands themselves must have thought upon arrival. But it wasn’t just the diverse crowd that represented the contrast of this night.

Fronted by the drummer of The Drones, Mike Noga and The Gentlemen of Fortune were indeed stately, dressed in suits, ties and hankies. They opened the show spectacularly, a bizarre pedigree of the Skyhooks and Southern country that set a high standard for what was to come. Filled with humming organ under simple and hard-hitting riffs, the first few opening tracks were in your face. Following cheers from the crowd as numerous members from Band of Horses entered the stage early to help switch instruments; the band switched tact with Noga manning an acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, the next half of the set was filled with hackneyed country, as organ flourishes turned into poorly improvised piano, and the songwriting moved towards cliche. However, The Gentlemen of Fortune redeemed themselves with a stronger end, suggesting that it was a lack of material that weakened what was an otherwise solid backing set.

Suitably attired in flannel and denim, Band of Horses opened with ‘The Great Salt Lake’ and fittingly the fans went wild. On display in the background magnificent landscape shots from the area which helped influence Infinite Arms during their travels around America, as well as time-lapse shots and photos from other locations helped out an element of narrative and atmosphere to the band’s performance. But nothing was more memorable than the act of defiance when, during ‘Detlef Schrempf’, security signalled to a fan by the front to put their lighter away, and the entire theatre preceded to set theirs alight in calm protest.

Clean work on sound and atmospheric lighting helped to turn the Art Deco locale of the Enmore into a location grander than its foundations. The culmination of Bridwell’s clean vocals and the band’s brilliantly executed instrumentation make Band of Horses a compelling live band. Performances such as this beg for a live album.