Thirsty Merc prove their musical chops and bring the nostalgia with hits you may have forgotten on a wild Friday night at the Arkaba Hotel.

Support Tequila Mockingbyrd from Melbourne warmed up the eager audience at the venue. The all female three-piece bring girl power to the maximum with their catchy hard-rock tunes. Fevered riffing and steady beats pave the foundation for hearty, passionate and soaring vocals. Drummer Josie O'Toole plays like she's been given a pair of sticks to deter her from hurting anyone, which is entertaining to watch.

Thirsty Merc's faultless live mix encapsulated their talent as musicians, playing solidly as a unit and with each instrument cutting audibly through the mix, a phenomenon that sonically is just as fine as biting into a well layered cake is to the palate. Launching into career-defining hit In The Summertime early into the set showed how heavy that memorable lead riff actually is, while lesser known cuts showed the band's diversity, spilling across a range of blues, ballads, rock'n'roll jams and low key vibes. Their session drummer hits hard and frontman Rai Thistlethwayte is a God-sent gift on the keyboards, leading far more by intuition and grace on said instrument than by the voice he is widely known for.

Phil Stack is a charismatic player on the bass. While nothing mind-bending, his enthusiasm bleeds into the audience and his bass lines provide that all so important foundation for the music. Matt Smith busts out plenty of enjoyable and feels-laden guitar solos. Again while not as talented as some super guitarists, it's Thirsty Merc's representation as 'the working man's' band that allows the audience to connect to his playing. Of course Thirsty Merc performed all the hits, such as Someday, Someday and 20 Good Reasons.

The thing about Thirsty Merc is they are not one of those bands that called it quits after their initial peak of success, as some bands do when such success does not prove to be consistent. In a way this makes the band reverse underdogs, fighting to highlight their humble nature, dynamite performance ethic and musical ability.