Amid semi-confirmed rumours that this gig was to be the last for Regurgitator, a nostalgic and very enthused crowd filled the Rev to capacity. The crowd itself drew attention to Regurgitator’s mainstream pulling power, seemingly more of a Triple M crew lured by the Brisbane band’s string of pop numbers. Nonetheless, the energy could not be beat, as well as the bucketloads of patriotism for one of this city’s most eccentric, prolific and exciting exports.

Similarly, a decent crowd had gathered for Tim ‘Screamfeeder’ Steward’s latest side project The Whats. The two-piece proved once again the potential that can be exploited with two instruments and a voice, not to mention how mighty impressive a white boy ‘fro can look bobbing behind a kit. Their set concentrated on low-tech rock from the recently released album, focusing on melodies and occasionally skipping over into no-frills blues. Although some tracks like All Mouth and No Trousers and Every Little Tear captured the crowd immediately, other tracks waned slightly, drooping into a similar wallpaper.

Kiwis The Mint Chicks brought a whole new dimension to stage antics from the moment they appeared in an eclectic array of outlandish sunglasses. This is a band with some serious energy, and the mood radiated around the venue. Frontman Kody Neilson displayed both his vocal and physical dexterity throughout the set, spending a couple of songs rigidly wrapped around the mic stand, and then spending the next guitar solo flying up to the above balcony and scaling the perimeter like a hyperactive Spiderman. After launching himself from the stack to the right of the stage (and faceplanting himself on his mic stand), there was a few tense moments of concern, but eventually the go-getter managed to correctly reposition his sunglasses. Acrobatics aside, The Mint Chicks belted out some quality – and very unique – tunes, ranging from almost-pretty pop rock to screaming thrashes of hardcore. Although, was there a particular need for four (yes, four) Ramones covers? Hmm. There was nothing predictable about this performance, but luckily the tactic works exceptionally well for the New Zealanders.

The crowd was literally salivating by the time Regurgitator finally took the stage at sometime past midnight. Quan, buffed and tight-shirt-and-tied, looked ecstatic to be playing to a home crowd, as did an unusually vocal Ben Ely. The sheer number of hits that followed surprised even the seasoned Regurgitator fan, and certainly whipped up the crowd. The track selection spanned virtually the entire Regurgitator lifetime, but did (thankfully) give a nod to a larger portion of the older material. The early inclusion of super-oldie Paradox was a personal highlight.

The Unit contributions were highlighted by a crowd singalong for I Will Lick Your Asshole, and the generation of a sweaty mosh for Black Bugs. Everyday Formula’s unmissable chunk was flawless, and The Song Formally Known As sent the temperature levels sky-high by inducing a dance fever. A few tracks from Art… penetrated the set, led by I Wanna be a Nudist and backed up by Obtusian. Eduardo…track Superstraight didn’t excite the crowd quite as much but nonetheless kept the proceeds kicking. Quan later explained the band’s road to success with I Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am. Newies like My Friend Robot popped up all over the set, breaking up the nostalgic power of the remainder.

Those waiting for Kung Fu Sing were rewarded at the last moment, and the encore included some extreme crowd participation as the band invited some ‘dancers’ up onto the stage. Inevitably, the stage was filled with people eager to shake their thing on stage – perhaps also to garner the attention of Quan or Ben – and a huge amount of space was opened up on the official dance floor. This tactic could come in handy at the next sold-out show at the Rev…

Overall, loads more fun than was anticipated. Despite the Gurge’s waning media interest, they’re still brimming with enthusiasm and their sense of humour hasn’t faded. And they’re probably the only band in Australia who can pull of punk, psuedo-metal, cheesy pop, electro and hip hop simultaneously – and look damn good doing it.