The collected 30 somethings were partying like it was 2002 at SWX as post-punk rockers A returned to Bristol to play the whole of their seminal album Hi-Fi Serious.
An evening of early 00’s rock appreciation kicked off with Essex alt-rockers InMe playing a storming set that left the crowd wanting more. The set was peppered with fan favourite tracks from their 2003 debut, Overgrown Eden, as well as a brand new track, For Something to Happen.
Lead singer Dave McPherson was entertaining throughout, telling the crowd he writes songs with breaks in them ‘because he’s an idiot’ and revealing that the last time they played in Bristol he broke his wrist promising: “This time I won’t get so wasted, and I won’t try parkour again.”
Next up were Wheatus, a band that plays with their one-hit-wonder status with a sense of humour and mischief that gave me a newfound respect for them. It also helps that their later work is the kind of discordant power pop that deserves a second listen.
Taking to the stage, and declaring they hate setlists, lead singer Brendan B Brown gleefully took requests from the crowd while avoiding almost all calls for songs from their major-label debut. The exception to this was Truffles, which they played for the ‘hairy wonder down the front.’
The chaotic set ended with a rendition of Teenage Dirtbag that brought the house down with not a single person in the place not singing along.
Finally, A stormed the stage to play the whole of Hi-Fi Serious, with frontman Jason Perry dressed as a takeaway delivery driver before launching straight into the second track of the album Something’s Going On.
Perry then told the crowd they were playing the whole album and if they didn’t we could sue them.
Highlights included Starbucks which had the best reaction of the tour, and of course, the earth-shattering opening track of the album – Nothing, which they played last.
Returning for the encore of fan favourite tracks from their other albums, Perry had the crowd take part in an ‘age-appropriate circle pit’ during Here We Go Again because ‘everyone is getting on a bit like walking football all involved had to walk with no pushing.
Before bowing out, Perry promised the band would return next year, and thanked fans for coming ‘from one middle-aged bloke to friends’ acknowledging that it might not always be as straightforward as it used to be to get out to a gig with life getting in the way.
It may have been a night full of blasts from the past, but it never hurts to relive your youth, if only for a few hours.