Retrospective shows can toe a very fine line between cash-grab, last ditch attempts at the spotlight and sincere, pertinent revisits to influential material. Fortunately, The Living End's return to their 1998 self-titled classic on Tuesday night sat amongst the latter. Lone support band The Novocaines wasted no time making an impression. Sounding huge from their first to last note, the big dirty tones hid some huge grooves underneath, regularly poking out to smack the full room in the face. A band that makes the rock'n'roll thing look so, so easy, the visceral yet disparate set showcased the best of a very, very entertaining live band.

As the Gyroscope DJs spun a mix of classics and newbies that tipped their hat to the band's own material, a video of classic footage greeted audiences as The Living End took to the stage. Maybe it's the more recent output of the band, or the commercial musical landscape that has unfortunately taken a hold of the collective ears of contemporary audiences, but you could not help but feel a little moved by the music shared in the room. Honouring their rockabilly roots through tracks like Monday and cult-classic West End Riot, the context of the band took on a whole new light.

Dedicating the whole night to play their debut release (an album not everybody owns, but everybody knows) from start to finish in its entirety (a feat they accomplished for each one of their albums earlier in the week), each track was recreated perfectly, the exceptions coming in the extended solo of All Torn Down, and the only restart of the set for instrumental conclusion Closing In. Reminding audiences of its '98 release at a time when Australian rock – the ilk of Silverchair, Powderfinger, Spiderbait, You Am I and so many other great acts – dominated the airwaves, one can't help but look back with half a tear rolling down the cheek. Owning a sound completely of their own, the group's off-beat dub vibes and more socially driven tracks such as Trapped, or surprise crowd favourite Save The Day sat pretty amongst hits Prisoner Of Society and Second Solution. It's a testament to the lasting quality of the album, one that provided a sentimental night of personal nostalgia that somehow sounded more relevant than ever.