A gig to remember for Evermore

Jacquelyn Curtis

22 August 2006: Guitar pop band Evermore took the stage at the UCU bar last Thursday in front of an audience they described as "the best Canberra crowd yet".

The band's only performance in Canberra opened with the aptly titled 'For one day' made famous through its inclusion on the soundtrack of hit teen drama The O.C.

Evermore front man Jon Hume rocks the bar Photo: Kylie Hodge

The three brothers from New Zealand, Jon, Peter and Dann Hume, secured a league of fans with their break-through single 'It's too late' (another O.C ditty) in late 2004 and this year in the UK thanks to a dance remix by Dirty South .

Fast forward two years: O.C. heroine Marissa Cooper is dead but Evermore is alive and well - debut album Dreams reached platinum status, the band scored an MTV gong along with five ARIA nominations and has released a second album, Real Life.

The crowd at the UCU bar was a testament to the band's mass appeal blend of guitar-pop as they took in the set of the 'Welcome to Real Life' tour.

The band entertained the annual UCU Gender Bender crowd, undeterred by the sea of drag kings' and queens' energetic response to the opening riff of 'Running' - the latest single gracing airwaves and iPods.

Hot on the heels of a tour in USA and Canada, front man and eldest brother Jon held a sophisticated presence on stage - complete with political message "free child slavery" emblazoned across his acoustic guitar - proof of the band's transition from five-minute-wonder to credible musicians.

Local Indie punk rock band Zero Degrees and Falling warmed the stage and the crowd for Evermore with a melodic live set including 'Black Market Travesty'.