Just when you think the bar cannot be raised any higher, inevitably it always is. After Perth’s own, The Wednesday Society had just delivered a scorching set, I sat and thought, geez I dunno how these Kiwi boys are going to top that. But what was already a balmy evening heated up even more as Die! Die! Die! delivered half an hour of hideously energetic punk rock.

The Belle Ends provided a bit of a contrast to the following acts as the openers. The acoustic blues rock duo won the smallish crowd over with their onstage chemistry and charisma. Some great tunes, like the highlight Your Brains is Bad, and a bit of humour thrown in between songs went down a treat with a beer at the 8.45 sunset (thanks to daylight savings). According to vocalist and guitarist Tim Hamzah, they were trying to punk their set up a little which is not surprising considering the leanings of The Wednesday Society and Die! Die! Die!

The Wednesday society mash their very own sound out of that of bands like Fugazi and Les Svay Fav. Their songs feature some quirky signature riffs and vocals but also always allow the bass and the drums their time to shine. The band played favourites like Can Can and single Red Means Go and also threw in a new song for good measure. They opened their set with some building atmospheric guitars and thundering toms and finished with a self destructive breakdown as band members threw their instruments to the floor while walking off stage, all the while vocalist Brendan Jay was screaming tick-tock the clock is ticking. The band played a ludicrously tight set, apart from some early hiccups involving a bass amp. The precision and conviction with which they deliver their songs is always remarkable.

The sun had well and truly gone down by the time Die! Die! Die! took to the stage, and with a name like that it was a good thing. From the instant they starting belting out their first song, their intensity did not relent. Drummer Michael Prain looked like he could fall off his stool at any second such was the tempo of the music and his frenzied playing. Ashtray! Ashtray! was my highlight in a very entertaining and high octane display of punk rock aggression. The trio from New Zealand were finishing off a long and gruelling tour but showed no signs of attrition as they ripped through their set. Some offstage antics and some acrobatics from frontman Andrew Wilson were almost a little too close for comfort for some audience members and punters were always on the edge of their seats or leaping out of them.

These three bands showed that the raw spirit of rock and roll is always alive and well in Perth even at a time like Christmas when most people are embracing the slightly more sanitised ‘Christmas spirit.’