Lightning struck the train tracks near my apartment, thus the trains were not running. I had to ride my bike on a sticky and warm, but glorious Melbourne evening to The Toff in Town for an evening of what many recording artists’ associations would label as ‘adult contemporary rock’. Three bands, twenty players, and a very small stage. No matter how sweaty and foul smelling I was from my furious pedaling in order to arrive relatively promptly, one could only imagine how it was for the seven lads from Aldous, or the eight members of Institut Polaire crammed together under lights in such a small space. My clammy fingers were crossed that lightning would strike twice, and the show would truly rock.

Awful use of clichés aside, the gents from Aldous put on a solid, if brief show of countrified pop, replete with horns, harmonies and six-sevenths of a coordinated set of outfits. Immediately following them were Perth’s Autumn Isles, who, with only five members on stage appeared positively underpopulated. On stage, the Isles’ psychedelic leanings were somewhat suppressed, and a more straightforward brand of folksy rock emerged.

Most particularly, the sheer dominance of guitarist Aidan Gordon and drummer Russell Loasby carried the day. Gordon’s classic-rock-with-a-metal-bent solos were furious enough to nearly warrant the adjective ‘fret-shredding’, which truly seemed amazingly inappropriate compared to the sunny melodies. However, it didn’t matter because the thudding bass drum and frenetic soloing was good enough to drive the songs forward live.

So when their Western Australian counterparts and headliners Institut Polaire took to the diminutive, yet pretty stage, the crowd was warm, yet sedate. It was not a get up and dance kind of gig, with the exception of the three young ladies who decided to inject some slightly addled dynamism to the front of the stage, including an impromptu costume change in the ladies’ room.

Only a few songs in and it was already apparent that Institut Polaire are one of the bright lights on the Australian scene. Equal parts folksy Australiana and Arcade Fire-esque bombast, they effortlessly combine the quaint with the powerful. Frontman Erik Hecht’s rapidly fading US accent lends a quirky touch to a band that already boasts its fair share of quirk, periodically picking up accordion, flute, trumpet and violin to complement their more conventional instrumentation.

Tracks were lifted from more than just last year’s The Flora and the Fauna EP, with one new number getting its maiden performance for the lucky few who took a Thursday night to see it. The name of that song remains elusive due to the negligence of your correspondent to acquire a setlist after the show. Beyond the expected highlight of ‘City Walls and Empires’, the most lovely surprise of the night was a performance of Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’. Replacing trumpets with violin and flute was particularly pleasing, and the homely beauty of the song struck a perfect note with IP’s idiosyncratic sound.

Towards the end of the set, the congestion that was eight band members turned into a logistical nightmare when The Autumn Isles joined them for a final performance. How they managed to negotiate their last song without somebody wearing an elbow, or guitar neck, in the face is a mystery. But negotiate it they did, dispensed with the obligatory encore, and wrapped up a fun, enthralling, and tightly controlled set of uniquely Australian music.

Institut Polaire are apparently releasing their debut album sometime in mid next year. On the strength of their performance at the Toff in Town, it is set to be a cracker.

In the interest of transparency, Aldous features Wireless Bollinger editor Justin Pearsall and sub-editor Chris Thompson. Ed Butler is independent of the band and cares not for the plight of this troop of seven sweaty musicans.