Grunge power-pop band Nancy Hazard, along with four other bands, tore the Richmond Central Club apart in Melbourne on Saturday night.

The event marked the first Akolade Enterprises’ showcase gig entitled, Bump’n Grind.

While poor weather conditions kept attendance numbers low – the rain did little to hamper the spirits of our performers.

Amega, a four piece from south-east Melbourne, were first on stage.

Appearances can be deceiving when it comes to Amega, particularly when the front-man is wearing a tie-dyed shirt, a colourful headband and has wicked dreadlocks. I was expecting a Sublime style reggae troupe, but instead the lads delivered a more metal set, with an Aussie rock sound. Appearances aside, each member showed obvious talent individually, but as a group I felt Amega didn’t quite fuse on the night.

After a quick stage adjustment and avoiding the leaky roof it was At What Cost next to bring the noise.

The multi-talented front-man and tonight’s organiser, Daniel Spizzirri, erupted into his set with ferocious energy, delivering a dose of grunge metal not seen since the late 90s. With a fast paced sound reminiscent of Guttermouth or Bad Brains, At What Cost were a professional outfit worthy of a larger audience – great all round performance.

Next up, the purveyors of metal, Liquid Optimism, performed their destructive set…

Hailing from the small town of Sale, Liquid Optimism, demonstrated a level of precision and professionalism that simply blew-my-mind. Lead guitarists, Peter and David, had a small crowd enthralled with their guitar licks, straying back and forth across the stage, while effortlessly holding their solos and unique styles – worth every minute…

Next to take the lime light, was the pop-punk group, Our Best Laid Plans, performing tracks from the latest EP, Blood Sweat and Tears. A tight outfit all round, the four piece played an enthusiastic set of punk-rock tunes to a slightly soggy audience. Inflections of Blink 182 as well as Atari’s could be heard, but the fellers managed to give each song a personal touch, adding a slightly more metal layer to their performance.

And finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for… the princesses of grunge, Nancy Hazard, took the stage. After a busy year of performing, the all girl trio has developed a polished sound and confidence in their stage performances. In fact, I got the feeling Nancy Hazard only need one or two catchy tunes to tip them over the musical edge. Tight work from all involved and even managed to bring the numbers up toward the end.