You Am I ’s eighth full length studio album Dilettantes is a far cry from debut Sound As Ever, released 15 years ago. But they’ve been proving on their current Let’s Be Dreadful tour that when it comes to the live show, they’re still on of Australia’s best, and tonight’s return to the Zoo was no exception.

This isn’t Mexico City ’s first time to a You Am I dance, but the Brisbane four piece usually suffers by comparison. Tonight’s performance, however, is as good a show as this reviewer has seen them put on. The alt-country rock is tight and predominantly upbeat, and frontman Adam Toole keeps things flowing smoothly. They cram a handful of new and old songs into their short set, and the crowd, which is flowing in steadily, but which refuses to move within 5 metres of the front of the stage, give them the warm applause they deserve come the end of their set. They finish with a toe tapping rock number, and if they continue to improve, should be worth keeping an eye on.

The buzz around Tame Impala is becoming deafening, with regular high profile shows including St Jerome’s Laneway and MGMT support coming in the next few months. They were completely unknown to me, and by the end of their set, my mind was sufficiently blown. These three youngsters from Perth play psychadelic rock with consummate ease, and each of their four seven-minute songs is a meandering melange of fuzzy riffs and driving beats. Frontman Kevin Parker delivers soul-shuddering reverbed vocals, and Jay Watson ’s drumwork is spectacular. The highlight is a cover of Blue Boy ’s 1997 hit Remember Me, transformed into a psych-rock opus. The talent on show tonight is amazing – if you can catch these guys before mainstream music makes them superstars, don’t miss it for love or money.

There’s not much left unsaid about You Am I. The godfathers of Australian rock have enjoyed only mediocre success with their albums of late, but there’s no doubt that they still put on one of the best shows in Australian live music, thanks in large part to the showman charisma of frontman Tim Rogers. Tonight, they open their set with a trio of tracks from the new album – the haunting title track, the rocken’ Disappearing and the softer acoustic-driven Beau Geste provide a perfect snapshot of the excellent diversity in the catalogue of You Am I. They follow that up with the upbeat Frightfully Moderne, with Rogers calling “You ain’t seen the best of us yet!” as the chorus – too true.

They bring out some classics for the older fans – Arse-Kickin’ Lady From The North-West is terrific, and Rogers cracks out his famous windmill manouvre for She Digs Her. Some of the new songs utilise synth and piano, which Davey Lane plays with gusto, and Melanie Robinson provides cello. And the presence of the piano also allows You Am I to perform some songs you don’t see very often – Moon Shines On Trouble has a jaunty edge, but it’s Trike which is a real highlight. Damage sees the crowd sing along, although Rogers does his usual bit of not singing the lyrics in the same phonetic pattern as the original. The one-two Convicts hit of It Ain’t Funny… and the fantastic Gunslingers give Rusty Hopkinson a chance to flash his drumming skills, with a near-mosh-pit breaking out for the former. There’s a dirty blues version of the obligatory Heavy Heart which shines, and they wrap up their set with traditional closer How Much Is Enough?

They return to the stage to rip out a cover of the Syd-Barrett -penned Pink Floyd track Astronomy Donime, before the crowd-pleasing, riff-heavy Cathy’s Clown and Get Up get everybody dancing. They finish their encore with the soft The Piano Up The Tree. It’s been another brilliant set from this iconic Australian band, and alongside two great support acts, this has been another night to remember for Brisbane You Am I fans – surely it’s not too much to hope they’ve got another 15 years in them?