Live Review: Bodyjar, One Dollar Short, For Amusement Only, Irrelevant

Australian punk nostalgia doesn't come thicker than tonight's bill, and Sydney's hardcore-leaning Irrelevant set the bar high from the outset. Delivering a clutch of fast, crisp tracks, the band don't miss a beat and are simply unstoppable.

Melburnians For Amusement Only hit the stage soon after, their brand of pop-tinged skate punk more closely aligned with the musical fare to follow. The boys seem to be enjoying the set as much as the crowd, and with synchronised jumps, bouncy choruses and a one-in-all-in vocal mentality, there's always some onstage action to get involved with. A cover breakdown of U2's With Or Without You slips in seamlessly with fan favourites 22 and Believe, and by the end of the slot the room is well and truly warmed up for the business end of the evening.

Sometimes punk works out for people – sometimes it doesn't. One Dollar Short vocalist Scott E. Woods unfortunately falls into the latter category, his heavily-tattooed bulk looking haggard, his presence genuinely lethargic. The start of the set seems laboured – the rest of the lads are pushing through admirably but it looks like a chore for Woods. However, when he does pull his hand out of his hoody pocket the band step up a gear with him, and by the time the Central Coast quintet are jamming on Robot, Is This The Part? and Satellite, the whole performance level has come full circle, the pit in full voice with the band.

Released 15 years ago, Bodyjar's seminal album, No Touch Red, has since become a landmark pinnacle of '90s Aussie punk, the sharp, punchy and melodic record encompassing everything that was and still is great about the domestic scene. To mark the occasion, the Melbourne four-piece are delivering the album in its entirety, end to end, and from the first shred of opener, Sequel, it's clear that the band are going to make every second count tonight. They fire through classics like Remote Controller, Fragile Happiness and You Say with passion and heart, and with every voice in the room behind frontman Cam Baines, their hook-riddled choruses soar. Bassist Grant Relf concludes No Touch Red with an animalistic take on Let 'Em Loose and in a little over 30 minutes the record has been given its full dues, the tracks sounding as vital as they did almost two decades ago. The quartet still have plenty left in the tank, however, returning for a six-song 'best of' encore, with their biggest singles, Not The Same, Is It A Lie?, Underwater and One In A Million, sending the devoted into a complete spin, the evening an utter triumph.