This is the age of the comeback girls and boys. Everybody from the Pixies and the La’s to the Spice Girls and the Stone Roses is dying to live in the past, yet still the notion of the reappearance of two hit wonders PUSA is an odd one.
The cynics evidently forgot to spread the word, though, as the blast of hot air that hits you when you try and enter the Music Centre’s black box of a hall proves the venue is unequivocally rammed.
The whys, wherefores and whatevers of it are immaterial to those shoehorned inside and indeed, once the trio begin the evening’s entertainment, even the doubters are forced to just go with the flow.
Simply put, this is a splendid night out. The band are a lot less quirky than memory suggests, instead dealing in a set of surprisingly credible punk-pop rock that wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the earlier Green Day albums.
They are, though, funny fuckers and after a summer spent watching band after band not quite sure which country they’re in today, it’s a pleasure to see a group not only aware of their temporary surroundings but actively engaging with them.
It certainly inspires the crowd, who more than play their part in proceedings. They crowd surf, headbang, out sing the PA and generally do all the things that rock concerts are supposed to inspire yet seldom do. They even follow the band’s lead to a man and woman and all sit down during their rip-snorting cover of ‘Kick Out The Jams / Shout / Ace Of Spades’.
One of those nights then and, while most of us never shed a tear at their passing, it’s mighty fine to have these Presidents back in office.