Grabbing a little something extra in addition to a 2-for-1 deal is pretty smart shopping, which is why it was a tad disappointing for there to be not so many present in the figurative supermarket at the time Brisbane’s Last Dinosaurs hit the stage.

It’s not like the band to put on a lacklustre performance, and they weren’t about to let the numbers prevent an impressive, albeit brief set. With just one EP to their name, Back From The Dead, they’ve done a considerable amount of east coast trekking this year, which has definitely added a weathered, bristly tone to their performances.

Not that it detracts from their catchiness at all – their rendition of Honolulu, the triple j staple that sounds like what might happen if Alex Grigg and The Edge got high together, was still as spritely, enthused and goddamn catchy as the first time you heard it. The new material they roadtested, too, was also promising for the band’s future – but, then again, basically everything about the band’s music is. An excellent choice of opener, and a promising start to the night’s musical proceedings.

Murmurings amongst the front of the audience as the stage was set for evergreen Irish rockers Ash were varied. “When were they last relevant?,” snickered one; while another just wanted to know who on earth they were. Education time, kids – when We Are Scientists were still playing with Bunsen burners in elementary school, these guys were tearing up stages all across Europe. Even though they might not ever have the kind of success they used to, it was still a real treat to catch the original trio – with Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack helping out – rocking out with the same energy they did back in the day.

What was even more interesting was the amount of devoted fans they still have – even when pulling out brand new material that you can’t find anywhere else but online (they’ve ditched the whole ‘album’ thing now, apparently), there were still a small but vocal number of punters singing along to every last word out of the irrepressible Tim Wheeler’s mouth. Tracks like the spaced-out funk of Return of White Rabbit and the hooky fanfare of -Arcadia_ were entirely suggestive that perhaps the new method of releasing was doing good things for the Ash boys, getting a strong reception from both the fanatics and the previously unfamiliar.

That said, Wheeler and co. would have had their guts for garters if we didn’t get to hear anything from their classic 1977. Girl From Mars, Kung Fu and Oh Yeah were some of the highlights of the entire evening, ensuring big-time singalongs and a wave of nostalgia from some of the older punters. Even for songs that are now over a decade old, these slices of grungy jangle-pop perfection feel ageless when the band performs them with such vigour and passion. If, by chance, you’d forgotten about the band, now’s a good time to revisit what they’re about – Ash were seriously impressive tonight.

There are two main reasons to go to a We Are Scientists show. The first is, of course, their music – dancey, loose and always good fun. Even if the biggest cheers are reserved for tracks from their major-label debut With Love and Squalor (their 1977, if you will) such as It’s A Hit and the thumping rock of The Great Escape, the onstage trio of frontman Keith Murray, bassist* Chris Cain* and touring drummer Danny Lee-Allen (also of Youth Group) put equal amounts of effort into each song of their set.

Their angular grooves and instantly-memorable choruses in songs like Rules Don’t Stop from their new record Barbara and Chick Lit from the mostly-ignored Brain Thrust Mastery were pumped out in a sweat-breaking flurry. The second reason, of course, is what happens in-between these great songs – Murray and Cain work off one another’s geeky humour perfectly, as they discuss everything from their cringeworthy pun on Splendour in the Grass to the literal aftermath of ‘baby-making’ music. It’s truly both refreshing and entertaining to see a band with such a great sense of humour about them – it’s depressingly rare, which makes acts like WAS such a joy to watch.

If getting full sets from both of these overlooked and underrated Splendour bands wasn’t enough, having them come together for a Weezer cover (“Only In Dreams”) at the end of the night was the icing on the cake. Ramshackle, on-the-fly fun at its finest, it was a great sign of camaraderie between the two bands and a highlight of the Splendour sideshow season. You probably couldn’t have asked for more bang when it came to your buck this evening – none of the bands disappointed, and those that were there for one band even managed to come around in support of the other. Right on.

Check out the photos from the gig