Live Review: Descendents, Bouncing Souls, Bodyjar & Irrelevant

The moniker begs for a wisecrack but reformed locals Irrelevant did an admirable job opening up this punk rock extravaganza with a solid half-hour set of catchy and melodic tunes. With Frenzal Rhomb dropping off the bill in mysterious circumstances, Melbourne's Bodyjar were the sentimental favourites of the night. Garnering an enthusiastic response from the growing throng, the boys churned through some of their best-loved material including their undeniably awesome rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's A Hazy Shade Of Winter and the sleeper classic Windsok. Leaving the stage to sustained applause Bodyjar proved that their best days may just be ahead of them. Let's see what the boys get up to now.

This reviewer wasn't feeling The Bouncing Souls this time around. Maybe it was the muddy sound, or the fact that the mighty Descendents were coming up soon, but even the likes of That Song and Lean On Sheena seemed a little flat. On the plus side new material such as Fast Times stood up well to the classic material. The Bouncing Souls are a band best enjoyed in more intimate surrounds.

Do you really need to be told how awesome Descendents were? In the short space of an hour the quartet proved why everyone, everywhere in the world of punk and hardcore loves these guys. Milo Aukerman may be a part-time vocalist but his performance was powerful, engaging and of course damn funny. Bill Stevenson remains an unstoppable machine and in his hands the pop punk offerings of Descendents became hardcore juggernauts. The track selection was also immaculate. All the staples were there, Descendents, Everything Sucks, I'm The One, When I Get Old, Pervert, Coffee Mug and Silly Girl – and they were received rapturously by the crowd. But the real treats came in hidden gems like the hilarious spoof All-O-Gistics and one of the finest pieces of melodic hardcore ever committed to wax – Coolidge. Chances to see this legendary outfit don't come along very often and certainly many consider themselves lucky to have popped their Descendents cherry. This wasn't just a gig – it was a piece of history.