Little Red have come a long way since I first encountered them as a small support act for the Whiskey Go Go’s and Vasco Era two years ago. New and exciting,  the band had a sound that, though obviously influenced by 50′s and 60′s vocal groups, was something fresh and innovative for the Melbourne scene. Now, after mass airplay and two solid years of touring, Little Red have become a firm favourite in Melbourne, so it was no surprise that their show at the Hi-Fi Bar had completely sold out. The band is about to take some time away from the road to record some new material, and it seemed that no-one wanted to miss out on seeing them live before they take a break.

As I made my way downstairs at the Hi-Fi, the shambolic sounds of the Ground Components greeted my ears. Not at all familiar with their music, I had no idea what to expect. Although my pop and r’n'b-inclined companions were not so keen, there was a lot of love about for the band. And the sight of Little Red’s Dom (guitar, vocals) in the crowd, dancing and waving his arms about, was a perfect example of this.

While the Ground Compoents certainly had a lot of supporters in the crowd, it was clear that everyone was there for Little Red. When the opening set came to an end, it was kill-or-be-killed in an attempt to secure a good spot in front of the stage. We then had to endure a half-hour wait, and discovered that, though winter has definitely begun in Melbourne, it has not – and possibly will never – hit the Hi-Fi bar. It was hotter than hell in front of the stage. Just when we thought we were going to melt into the floor beneath us, Little Red strolled out, picked up their guitars, and the party started.

‘Fight Song’, an oldie from the band’s debut album, Listen To Little Red, showed the crowd that they had made the right decision in coming along to the gig. Within seconds the room was filled with the sound of screaming girls, an excited crowd enthusiastically clapping along, and of course, the sweet, sweet sounds of Little Red. If it wasn’t for the undeniably 21st-Century clothing adorning the room full of fans, the scene could have been mistaken for a doo-wop gig of the 1960s.

As the crowd danced the night away, Little Red provided some amazing tunes – album tracks ‘Witch Doctor’, ‘Misty, I’ and ‘Fool’ sounded as solid as ever, while ‘Speedo’ allowed Adrian (guitar, vocals) to display his vocal talents (this song was missing from the setlist the last few times I’ve seen the band). The show was an equal mix of old and new songs. The new stuff was very well received, and, given the amount of people singing along to some of the new songs (of which there are no recorded versions available), it seemed that there were a lot of serious Little Red fans in the crowd (myself included, I must admit).

New track ‘In My Bed’ was a highlight, as was ‘Rock It’ – allowing Dom to put down his guitar and join in the dancing. The crowd loved it. Another highlight (if not musically, then certainly in terms of entertainment value) was when Ground Components – and various friends-of – joined Little Red onstage for a rendition – duet, almost – of ‘It’s Alright’. When the main act disappeared off stage, it was not long before they returned for an encore, and ended things with a sweet, sugary bang – crowd-pleaser, ‘Coca Cola’. It was also pleasing to see them save their first single, ‘Waiting’, for later in the set – it’s one of my favourites.

It’s impossible to have a bad time at a Little Red gig. The vibe is always amazing, and Friday night at the Hi-Fi didn’t disappoint. Towards the end of the set I turned my head to see just how full the venue was, and couldn’t believe just how many people had turned out to support this talented young band. Their music is infectious and happy and it’s clear they love what they do. A look from Quang (bass vocals) or Tom (vocals, tombourine, harmonica) is also enough to make any female fan’s heart melt, while it’s difficult not to crack a happy grin at the sight of Taka smiling from behind his drums.

Little Red don’t have to try to make the crowd dance or have fun. Their ‘doo-wop punk’ speaks for itself. They are a live act that just keeps getting better, and, though we may be about to endure several months without any live shows from the boys, I am sure that their next recording – and subsequent tour – will be worth the wait.

Last November, indie-retro-pop-rock-harmonisers Little Red found themselves placed peculiarly alongside homemade toffee and scone stalls, on stage at the East Ivanhoe Primary School fete. Flanked by Wilbur Wilde (saxophonist of Hey Hey It’s Saturday fame and Ivanhoe East resident), the five young Melbourne lads rocked the schoolyard with trademark grins and enthusiasm.

“We never turned down a gig,” says singer-bassist Quang Dinh, describing the band’s difficult climb up the lower rungs of the city’s crammed music scene. It’s an approach that has earned the group a big thumbs up from the alt-music community, though Dinh assures me Little Red’s fresh brand of up-beat doo-wop was also a hit with the school mums.

It’s plain to see why. On stage the boys deck themselves out in collars, suits and spiffy shoes, oozing scruffy schoolboy charm. Add four-way harmonies, punchy bass lines and light, catchy guitar jingles, and you’ve got a recipe for timeless fun.

The fete gig was actually more than a kooky experiment. Months earlier the boys had approached Wilde (a regular at singer-guitarist Adrian Beltridge’s video store), and asked for a helping hand on a then upcoming long player. The local music veteran agreed, and asked Little Red to play the fete in return.

“We had this song (Jackie Cooper) and it was kinda missing something,” recalls Dinh. “We imagined a little sax solo or something. So Adrian just asked Willie if he wanted to be on the CD – we gave him a copy of the song, and he loved it.

“He pretty much came into the studio, had a yarn for about half an hour – which ate into our studio time, but his stories were good so it didn’t matter – and kicked out the solo in under a quarter-of-an-hour.”

Time was tight because the band had essentially begged and borrowed its way through the recording process, with no real budget to speak of. The studio and producer (Steven Schram) were wrangled free for three days only, and there were 16 songs to power through.

“We recorded it bare boned,” the bassist says. “We just set up the equipment, got the levels and the sound right, and hit record. We did have to do some over-dubs, but 90 per cent of it’s live. That’s how we wanted it to sound.

“It was a bit harder, just because we’re usually drunk when we play live. And we’re usually excited and nervous. But in the studio we were completely sober, still trying to groove, and get the same kind of rawness in.

“In some areas, in terms of musicianship, we didn’t have time to get it all right. But we’ve never been a band that’s been about musicianship, I don’t think. It’s pretty much about song writing. We’ve got three very talented song writers.”

The critics wholeheartedly agree. The product that emerged from the hectic studio sessions, Listen to Little Red, hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago (read Laneway’s thoughts here) and propelled the fellas to indie-rock posterboy status. You can’t flick through more than a couple of pages of a newspaper or magazine without stumbling on a spectacularly adoring Little Red review, or ‘next big thing’ prediction.

For those who prefer numerics, the album debuted 29th on the national ARIA chart, and came in at number 13 in terms of Victorian sales. “We’ve done the hard yards here, so we’ve got as many fans in Melbourne as we have in the rest of the country,” says Dinh.

“Melbourne’s absolutely tops for us; it’s the best place in Australia for musicians to be. There were so many venues for us to try out our stuff in.

“We started out at the Tote and Barbukka. Some of our best gigs have been at the Old Bar though. That was back in the day, when we played there and it was like our drinking hole as well.

“Because it’s so small, it looks like there’s just a flood of people in there. On stage as well, it’s so crowded. It’s just a really good vibe at that place.”

But with Listen to Little Red making glorious sound waves nationwide, bigger gigs await. First the band hits Byron Bay’s iconic Splendour in the Grass festival, followed by a support tour with Vampire Weekend. Then they take to the road for a month-long, five-state headline tour.

“We’re probably going to have to hire some kind of Tarago, which is annoying because we all love to drink,” Dinh says, disappointed. “I’m not sure what’s been arranged, but whenever we have to drive there’s always problems with the four of us being too drunk, and somehow having to squirm out of the venue and get home.”

Once the tour hangover dies down, the band plans to start demoing material for album number two, slated for release in under a year. They are already rehearsing new material.

“Gigs are so much fun, but they’re not as permanent as recording something. A gig is like a fun moment in time. It just happens, and it’s awesome, but the reason it’s so good, in a way, is that you do forget it – you’re just living in the moment. But a record is more what we’re aiming at.

“One of the reasons we wanted to go independent was so that we could just release records whenever we want. We want to record as much as we can and get things sounding as great as possible. That’s not to say that we don’t like gigging – we love gigging – but recording is a lot more important for us.”

“We’re really just looking forward to the next thing. I don’t think its good to just kind of rest on what you’ve done.”

Listen to Little Red is a delightful mix of punchy bass lines, catchy guitar and retro-stylish vocals – with an emphasis on the plural – which breathes fresh life into the cheery surf sounds of the Beach Boys, and the early upbeat bop of the Beatles.

Its 16 tracks clock in at a snappy 39 minutes, and it’s the most fun thirteen-twentieths of an hour to come out of Melbourne in quite a while. There’s a plethora of bubblegum pop (Coca Cola, Isabella, Fight Song), a few dreamy ballads (Fool, If You’re Lonely, Autumn Leaves), and Speedo borders on the lighter side of lusty funk. Some 50s diner rock is thrown in – Little Annie is kind of tune you’d expect to find tucked away in a groovy old jukebox. She’s Not the Only One edges towards the garage, and Jackie Cooper takes you back to the bleachers from Grease. It’s quite a journey.

The real strength of the album – and the band, more broadly – is the balanced vocal power of its four front-men. One will scale the tenor notes while another scours the baritones; everything’s backed-up; there’s ample voice variety, and each meshes neatly in harmony with its surrounds.

Better yet: it sounds real. The album, released on the band’s own label, was recorded on an indie budget and shuns the meticulous production bells and whistles preferred by others in the pop field. It’s stripped-back; lo-fi, in a cool way.

Listen to Little Red is a very solid offering that will have you doo-woppin’, clappin’ and tappin’ your feet along from beginning to end.

It’s bright, tastes like sarsaparilla, and feels like summer. Grab a copy.