Walking into the dimly lit sea of black attire in Max Watts, Melbourne one could be forgiven for thinking the clock has been wound back 20 years. Yet it is 20 years later though not much has changed.

Soaring to fame with debut album “ Sumo” in 1994 the band that is The Superjesus rose to fame alongside the likes of Killing Heidi, You am I and Regurgitator.

Fronted by the sassiest rock chick to ever grace Australian stages the normally blonde Sarah McLeoud is now sporting a rather rocking 90s hairdo as she is welcomed to the stage with a rising musical crescendo.

The evening is separated into two halves to celebrate the milestone, and for the first time Sumo is played in all of its glory. Hardly stopping to take a breath other than to tell the crowd what a good looking bunch they are.

“ Down Again”, “ Shut my Eyes”, “ Now and Then” all showcase the rawness of the band,something they’ve managed to hold onto- that feeling of live energy that comes out and vibrates across the entire room. The band play together in a synergy that is electric and with Sarah’s occasional jokes, showing off her new guitar and banter they manage to entertain and have us all mesmerized.

Having smashed out almost a solid hour of the first half of the show has been non stop high octane rock. After a short break and change into a white jumpsuit, for the second half Sarah emerges seated at a keyboard. As a little figurine of Rocky Balboa looks on she plays a beautiful rendition of ‘ So Lonely’ and even with a sprinkle of nerves, its the highlight of the evening. Having only just acquired the keyboard just days earlier its a pretty impressive performance.

The second half of the set consisting of the more rarer songs and hits is a more relaxed set, the band are in their grove and enjoying themselves. Throwing in an eclectic mix with ‘ Ground’, ‘ Holy Water’ and a the most rock and roll cover of Kylie Minouge’s “ Confide in Me” throwing in some impressive rock licks make the song completely different to the original.

As the evening draws to a close, the show has been a celebration of the dynamic album ‘ Sumo’ the popular ‘ Gravity’ closes out the mammoth two hour show. As we file out into the crisp evening nostalgia for the halcyon days of the 90s music scene hangs in the air.

Words and images by Amanda Lee Starkey