When I told people I would be going to see the Wombats on their ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ tour, I always felt the need to throw in a little addendum - "oh, it’s for the nostalgia you know?," or "what a throwback that will be!".

Having been on the scene for over ten years now, The Wombats’ first few albums served as poignant soundtracks for the awkward adolescence of many of us who are now of a university-going age. However, the trio’s aforementioned fourth studio album (which was released on February 8 this year), demonstrates the same freshness, originality and intensity of the heady, hormone-driven early days.

Young alt rock/indie pop band BLOXX opened the night, followed by The Night Café. They, like The Wombats, hail from Liverpool, and warmed up the venue with some bright, enthusiastic indie rock before the crowd truly came to life upon the arrival of the main act.

What a crowd it was. Though feeling decidedly elderly amid a sea of 15-16 year olds, looking around it became clear that many a demographic was represented. There were those who had passed their teenage years in the company of The Wombats’ breakthrough songs, those who were potentially at their very first gig, and a slightly disconcerting array of 30-something year-old men along with what could only be a handful of reluctant parents hovering near the back. The crowd was united through good, old fashioned adoration.

All it took was the first few bars of ‘Cheetah Tongue’, a song from The Wombat’s most recent album, to get the crowd jumping and passionately singing along.

This was pretty much the pattern the rest of the set followed. No matter the era, every song was received with the love usually reserved solely for old favorites. In case it wasn’t already clear, the night served to demonstrate just how much quality output The Wombats have produced over the last few years.

Both band and crowd were relentlessly enthusiastic, with band-members Murph, Dan and Tord maintaining a relaxed, chatty vibe on stage and engaging with the audience.

After a man was cautioned by stern security for getting up on his mate’s shoulders, Murph seemed to applaud the audacity, remarking, "I believe in Jesus again". Though the show had to be stopped several times at their gig a the night before at Ally Pally for crowd safety, the Bristol lot were pretty well behaved, seemingly content with the simple fact of being there.

Saving the classics ‘Tokyo - Vampires & Wolves’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’ for a nostalgia-fueled encore, the evening ended on a high, confirming that The Wombats remain both beloved and relevant for awkward teenagers of all ages.