You don’t so much review an Oh Sees performance as try to document how you survived.

Peak Twins kick things off with a slightly nonchalant vibe, which works perfectly. I’m weirdly reminded of The Panics in some of the vocal patterns, guitar lines and deliberate lack of dynamics (yes, I know the two bands aren’t really anything alike), but Peak Twins are far less calculating (and I mean that in a good way) and a lot more interesting.

Total Control take a couple of songs to get sorted and hit their stride but once they do the result is amazing. There’s enough variety between songs to keep things interesting; the pacing of the setlist finds that perfect mid-point between showing off versatility and every song sounding the same. By this point the room is getting pretty busy, and Total Control have the crowd sufficiently warmed up when Thee Oh Sees hit the stage.

This isn’t the sort of gig you can stand at the back of taking notes, because Thee Oh Sees are all about that bond between band and audience. You can’t even begin to appreciate the energy of the band unless you get somewhere near the front.

As such, my experience is a bit of a blur. Not being the tallest person in the world, my view of the stage is usually sub-par, but in this case I also have to contend with raised arms, bouncing heads and the legs of nose-diving crowd-surfers. It’s great to see a crowd going crazy, even if that is most of what you can see.

What I do see/hear and can recall: “Meat Step Lively” is a perfectly written tune and “Block of Ice” is broken down and drawn out beautifully. John Dwyer staggers across the stage, not so much playing the guitar as being attacked by it, spitting, caterwauling, and generally just killing it. There’s a subtle change about half-way through the set as the band ease back and start extending songs, breaking them down into a sludgy, droning mess, before the pace picks up and we’re back to feedback squalls and twin-drummer mayhem.

The band close with as close to a ballad as Thee Oh Sees are ever going to write. It’s a brilliant change of pace and a great warm-down from the most energetic set I’ve seen since, well, the last time I saw Thee Oh Sees.

Dwyer announces that the band are playing a daytime show with The UV Race on Australia Day. If you don’t have plans to get a Southern Cross tattoo or get fitted for a flag cape, I’d recommend checking out what may well be one of the best live bands in the world.