At least three people within earshot say, “I’m just here to see them get naked,” before The Gooch Palms take the stage. Although the impending nudity is more of a functional exercise than shock tactic (they take to the stage on the first day of this wretched heatwave… supercell anyone?) it is definitely not the only reason The Foundry is full of sweaty bodies.

White Lodge are the first up to support, and with a smattering of people populating the rectangular room you’d almost forgive them for letting up on the energy. I guess they didn’t see it that way, with the Gold Coast noise punk bro-quad’s energy surpassing the crowd in what’s been a pretty sweet month for the band who opened for Thee Oh Sees last month. They’ve actually played more shows than weeks of the year, and this time round the guys seem fully committed to the set, producing a seriously tight drum backbone throughout while strumming the bass like a guitar. All up, they’re giving off the right kind of unforced intensity that lends their sound some serious cred which hopefully sees them move further up the bill soon.

Brisbane punk stalwarts Cannon are next up, and frontman Callan Murray is as convincing as ever. Even though he seems pretty drunk, he sums up his own indecipherable banter when he realises no one knows what he’s talking about, promising “I’ll explain later.” Everyone laughs. That’s pretty much the mood of the night, no one taking much too seriously, except ferociously thrashing around the room and the stage. There are carefree smiles all round, including the dials of The Gooch Palms’ Leroy Maqueen and Kat Friend who are bouncing along in the crowd for both Cannon and White Lodge’s sets.

Then it’s their turn, and boy are they ready for it. It’s their first show back in Australia after an extended stint touring in the US, and the bubblegum punk pair come out all guns blazing in matching letterman jackets and warpaint. The duo’s delivery is well-practiced and there’s absolutely no awkward banter, Friend is hilarious and full of beans on stage, pounding the tom and snare, filling out the band’s minimal rhythm section.

In another life Maqueen could have been a slick barber shop star with the control he exercises over his croon. His delivery is clean and bang-on every note, even in the powerful falsetto on Don’t Cry. Prom night garage ballad You is a definite highlight, the grainy singalong is perfect for a night of romantic slow dancing. Maybe not for this crowd though, it only takes a few more songs before the pit opens up during Cucaracha, the band’s debut single from 2011.

They power through their debut album NOVO’S, and play some new material off the next LP, the name of which I completely missed. I got distracted by the song’s description (apparently it’s about listening to KISS and drinking beer) and their synopsis of another track supposedly off the next album inspired by NRL player Mitchell Pearce’s puppy love. I’m fairly sure that was a joke, but they make so many NRL references I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns up on the track listing.

The solid 20-person mosh raging throughout the entire set comes to a head when fans recognise the punchy pop riff of Hungry as the final song of the night, and an overzealous crowd surfer kicks Maqueen’s mic stand out from underneath him mid-verse. If you’ve never seen the man in the flesh, he’s got a smile as wide as his head and he wears it the whole night, and despite having to momentarily stop playing and fix his set up, Maqueen took the incident in his stride.

It was a suitably sweaty few hours at The Foundry for the fireballs from Newcastle, a true sight for sore eyes for Australian fans who welcomed the pair back with well deserved adoration.

- Grace Pashley