Portsmouth band Thirst celebrate 25 years of debut and a 'difficult second album' with Wedge gig | Review

But Portsmouth’s Thirst must now be up there – they have taken 25 years to follow up their debut, From Mouth To Skin.

And this gig is a triple-whammy of one-off reformation after more than 20 years away, silver anniversary celebration of that debut, and a launch for that belated second album, Patchwork Happiness.

Back around the turn of the millennium things looked good for the four-piece – they were routinely praised in the rock press and their profile was rising. But after From Mouth... things fell apart and they split.

Thirst’s angst-driven, post-grunge rock was the kind of music teens could latch onto.

For many of those former teens in the audience, now nudging middle-age, this was clearly a band who meant a great deal. And the music has stuck with them over the years – plenty are singing along, word-perfect to every song.

They’re impressively tight, if looking a little tense at times. But as the set goes on, they settle into it and remember to enjoy the proceedings too.

Vocalist and guitarist Chris Perrin slips back into the frontman role and Rich Tamblyn has got the wicked licks on lead guitar.

The rhythm section have it locked down – Mark Denney is a beast, while Stevie Marsh plays those liquid basslines with the style that shows why he’s been in EMF for more than a decade.

The set understandably draws heavily on From Mouth… but throws in a few new numbers, including Shadow Man, with a poignant introduction about the importance of mental health.

Perrin acknowledges the absurdity of releasing a new album when they have no intention of playing any more shows – so we’d better make the most of this opportunity.

We also get to hear about the song that made them ‘moderately big in Mumbai’ (State of High Piss Off), and a little of the less glamourous interim years – civil service IT, anyone?

And of course – the worry of whether anyone would turn up to see them after all this time? The answer to that is an emphatic: ‘Yes’.

After finishing the encores with a raucous Dear Sir, the crowd is still chanting – in vain – for one more song, relucant to let them go so soon.

Yes, it’s a heady hit of nostalgia for those who were there first time around, but the new material demonstrates that they’ve still got ‘it’.

So is this really goodbye (again)?

Only the band can answer that, but on tonight’s evidence, there’s a fanbase there who’d happily have them back for more.

And surely it would be a shame to do so much work for just one show…?

Thirst are not the only band releasing a new album tonight – support act Freestone are settting their debut, Do The Thing, loose on the world. This power-trio go from strength-to-strength, and it’s fitting that their album launch is also their first time as a band on The Wedge’s main stage (the three members have played the stage many times before with other storied Portsmouth bands – The Mild Mannered Janitors, The Good Time Charlies and more). Oh, and the album’s great. Go buy it.

Much like policemen, bands appear to be getting younger, which probably says more about me than them, but openers Sonne (pronounced ‘Sonn-uh’) are mere babes.

However, that doesn’t stop them from being frighteningly good. Heavy, but not histrionic, and containing a supremely self-confident frontman, they’re definitely a thrilling prospect.