Live Review: Sunnyboys, Not Ok

It's not quite a trip to the town of Kingscliff, the old hometown to Sunnyboys' frontman Jeremy Oxley, his bassist brother Peter Oxley and drummer Bill Bilson, nor do we stand in the hallowed halls of the Playroom or Bombay Rock in Surfers Paradise, where these gents would triumphantly play in the heady days of the late-1970s and early-'80s; but tonight the Coolangatta Hotel feels like a more than suitable place to see the Sunnyboys in what is being billed as a homecoming show.

Local punks Not OK relish the chance to play to what is already a more than hefty crowd; they play a tight brand of street punk that doesn't call to mind the shimmery pop of tonight's headline act, but certainly mines influence from the kind of punk rock bands one would imagine they would have played with in their early career, so it's not as if they seem out of place.

“We're in Coolangatta, it's Friday night, the bar is open, the place is full – let's go!”

If you've seen Sunnyboys since their recent reformation, then you've essentially seen the setlist that they pump out tonight. But that's not to say you haven't missed something special. To put it simply, the band – and, more importantly, the at times ailing Jeremy Oxley – play brilliantly; a performance that is essentially flawless. A run of shows earlier this year and the occasional one-off appearance in the 12 months before that, as well as the beckoning of a sold out Sydney Opera House later this month, have bolstered the band as a live force and you truly feel they can match it with any of their contemporaries at this point in time.

They're far from the most animated band onstage, but with songs as brilliant as Oxley's there's just no need for any histrionics. As I Walk and Love To Rule are a strong start, while the band's harmonies in the pre-chorus of Tunnel Of Love sound ripped directly from the LP. When songs need rough treatment (the complex Liar, for example) they get it, solos are nailed (Let You Go's particularly scintillating) and the passionate but friendly crowd, which even features a fair number of revellers not born when the band's classic debut was released, lap up every single moment.

Alone With You wraps up the set, but no one's leaving without hearing more and Trouble In My Brain and It's Not Me make for a brilliant encore, though the band come back for even more and belt out Ain't That A Shame. It'll be a shame if this reunion ever ends, but at least we've had the privilege of witnessing a once great band relive a great past with pure class.