Supergrass were always the forgotten third cousins of the mid-90s Britpop revolution – while the world’s attention was on Blur and Oasis, Supergrass were doing their thing, often better than their associates. It’s been 15 years since they started out, but last night they proved not only do they still have what it takes, they could put most modern rock bands to shame.

Cloud Control, a four piece hailing from the Blue Mountains region in NSW, are an unusual choice for a Supergrass support. Their guitar-and-keys arrangements are sparse, and complex, but sometimes lack energy, especially during the middle of the set, which seems to crawl. Still, Al Wright ’s jangly guitar doles out just enough riffs to keep things moving, and his vocal harmonising with keyboardist Heidi Lenffer is exciting. They really open up in the home stretch, increasing the tempo and energy, and new single Death Cloud and Vintage Books are almost danceable. They get a warm cheer when they finish, but the crowd is definitely only here for one band tonight.

The simple things in life are often the best, and tonight’s backdrop is just Supergrass, spelt out in lights. The band arrive to a roar, and prove that the simple things matter on stage too. The one-two punch of new songs Diamond Hoo Ha Man and Bad Blood set the perfect mood for the night – all barrelling guitars, tight drumwork, and Gaz Coombes ’ simple yet effective vocals. There’s plenty of their new tracks on display tonight, and most of them benefit greatly from the live treatment. The riffs of Rebel In You, Ghost Of A Friend and 345 have the crowd dancing in a frenzy.

Of course, there’s lots of old classics on display too. Rocked out versions of Mary and Moving get the crowd singing and clapping along, but the highlight of the night is the pairing of Strange Ones (complete with whiplash-inducing tempo changes in the chorus) and Caught By The Fuzz. The band perform as just a three piece for these sections, and original band members Coombes, Mick Quinn on drums and Danny Goffey on bass prove they still know how to sound disreputable, even in middle age. There’s some quieter moments too – She’s So Loose and Late In The Day are acoustic-driven ballads which give the frenetic crowd a chance to breathe and sway. The band wrap up their main set with fan favourite Pumping On The Stereo, which sets the whole front area moshing back and forth.

They return to the stage moments later and rip into Sun Hits The Sky, and while it lacks a little edge of the recorded version, it still ends in the same chaotic swirl which made the original so great. They cover The Police ’s Next To You, and finish the night with Lenny. It’s an unusual choice of finisher, not to mention that they haven’t played a single song from their Life On Other Planets album. Still, they delivered a great show, and proved that, in an era where gimmicks can sometimes take the place of music, it’s great to see a band craft a career out of straightforward awesome rock. Hopefully they’ll be around for another fifteen years to come.