Reflecting on the reasons why an absolute plethora of regrouped bands from past decades are touring the globe at the moment, I came to the conclusion that the easy option of producing a ‘best-of’ CD and raking in the profits was an unviable phenomenon these days. Praise be to whichever music God you worship, because the live music scene here is truly wired. And so we come to Friday night in good Melbourne town and a triple music bill, the likes of which hasn’t been seen here since the 80’s. A good many punters out to see The Clouds, The Wonder Stuff and Jesus Jones probably hadn’t ventured to a gig since the ‘Flashdance’ era, and it was brilliant to see all those lovely, iconic pieces of 80’s fashion getting an airing.

The Clouds have a strong fan base, with at least one punter claiming that he had missed only one Melbourne show EVER. I would be lynched if I had anything negative to say about this band, so luckily I can give them their full due and praise them genuinely. This Sydney based indie rock band have been together since ’89, and it’s unbelievable to think we nearly lost them permanently in ’97 after they spent years trying to get the support of the industry moguls. When you think of some ‘bands’ and ‘musicians’ who are in everyone’s face whether they deserve the promotion or not, it’s no wonder that talented band members such as those in The Clouds were left shaking their heads and wondering who they had to sleep with (so to speak). Jodi Phillis and Trish Young are renowned for their vocal harmonies, and the way they can just ‘work it’ to produce quality indie rock.

The Wonder Stuff really means “Dizzy” to me, and I had to remind myself that “Dizzy” was a remake by Vic Reeves... The Wonder Stuff were his backing musicians on the song. Punters were still a tad disappointed that Miles Hunt and band didn’t perform the hit that made The Wonder Stuff a household name. Still, true fans would have found plenty to like in the chosen set. The banjo and violin has been a feature of many of this band’s songs since its inception, and it was great to see Erica Nockalls in full flight on most tunes. The performance was highly visual with Hunt appearing on stage wearing overalls and striped T-Shirt, looking decidedly like Andy Pandy. For a bunch of veterans (discounting newish band members) there was a lot of energy emanating from the stage, and we gathered that The Wonder Stuff really enjoy performing live even after 25 years in the business.

The headline act on this night was Jesus Jones, named after a holiday to a beach resort where all the locals were called Jesus and the three vacationers were feeling a touch anonymous (Jones...which is a bit like Smith or Nguyen). Unlike millions of others, I’ll admit to not really liking “Right Here, Right Now” and I thought when The Wonder Stuff exited the stage, my fun night was over. I was super, mega wrong.

Age has not dulled Mike Edward’s stage presence or charisma. His voice is still as engaging as it was in 1989 when Liquidizer was released. Iain Baker (keyboards) is a total nutter and one of the best keyboard players ever to grace a stage. I was pleasantly surprised that many of the songs the band played verged on being heavy metal rather than their more melodic techno/indie blends and at only one point in the set did I drift and start to think about other things, which is exceptional for me. Fortunately for Jesus Jones, the Rugby World Cup people have picked up “Right Here, Right Now” as their theme song. Despite the small detail that it’s being performed by Kiwi band The Feelers, it is sure to excite the interest of a new generation of rugby-loving Jesus Jones fans.