It’s an unseasonably cold night in usually tropical Brisbane for Firekites' second visit in as many months, this time as the headline act. Accompanying one of Wireless Bollinger ‘10 Bands To Watch’ are Melbourne’s Crayon Fields, making a very welcome return after some time.

Two years on from the well-received Animal Bells record, tonight provided a great opportunity to see where Geoff O’Connor is at with album number two. Alas, the plight of the support act is evident from the first few chords in the form of a very disinterested (to the point of nodding off) sound engineer. O’Connor’s voice could hardly be described as strident but rather than treating his twee, restrained vocals with some compassionate reverb, some appalling EQ renders it nearly unlistenable.

The songs are all there, but for the listener unfamiliar with the brilliance of their music, tonight is not the ideal advertisement. New track ‘Mirrorball’ is a highlight; signalling a more direct approach to songwriting for the band, it’s a song they clearly enjoy playing. ‘Living So Well’ and ‘Lovely Time’ standout tonight but only because of their memorable choruses, not because they are played with vibrancy or sound resplendent.

O’Connor is clearly a shy, retiring type and the horrid sound this evening clearly does nothing for his confidence. He displays a lack of stagecraft that the rest of the band struggle to lift this evening and the beautiful melodies and subtle intricacies of their 60s flavoured pop are, to the uninitiated, unfortunately absent.

Conversely, Firekites hit the ground running. To be honest, the band’s album from this year, The Bowery, didn’t do much to capture this writer’s imagination. The record is pretty enough but gets stuck in a low gear early on and remains there. One song tends to blend into the next, resulting in a nice dinner party or late night soundtrack, but certainly not one that grabs you and demands your attention.

Live, however, Firekites tend to make more sense. The sound is spot on tonight; it’s crisp, clear and resonant, with each voice pushed nicely up in the mix. Songwriting duo, Rod Smith and Tim McPhee take centre stage and play off each other nicely; they possess a presence that connects with the audience but is never contrived or conceited. Jason Tampake provides a nice foil for the duo as he switches between guitar and violin seamlessly, contributing some beautiful codas to ‘Last Ships’, ‘Autumn Story’ and ‘By Night’.

It’s a bewitching and hypnotic performance and one that perfectly suits a more laid-back weeknight outing than a cathartic weekend on the tiles. If you don’t have a copy of The Bowery yet, I have one piece of advice: before you grab the record, see Firekites live. It will provide a context and deeper appreciation for their brand of mellow, jazz-informed pop.