Now in its third year, the EG Awards have made this place their home, and St Kilda’s Prince Bandroom is packed, of course.

Little Red open the night with a fairly long set, and bring on some added brass towards the end. Julia Zemiro is hosting this evening, but frankly, a lot of people in the room don't seem too interested in who’s actually winning things, and some of the ceremony gets lost in the general hubbub and chatter. Rumour has it that the Presets flew down for the day just to pick up their award for Best Song, with a 10-second long acceptance speech no less.

After their hall of fame induction, which was neatly done by Dave Faulkner, it’s time for Died Pretty. This is a celebration, not a straight-out reunion, and it feels like one. With a deep back catalogue and a crowd of confirmed faithful jammed solid, the way is clear for them to pick and choose for tonight's set. They open with ‘Blue Sky Day’ from Free Dirt, before heading on to Doughboy Hollow’s ‘Lose Myself’. They’re nicely loose from the start, although the sound seems strangely muted.

Ron Peno may not flail and contort in the same way he used to, but Brett Myer’s guitar stance and style is unchanged. 'Everybody Moves' is that perfectly contradictory thing, a slice of uplifting melancholy. Late in the night, a sprawling 12-minute monster take on 'Mirror Blues' sends the whole show into overdrive.

The past collides with the present when they close the encores with 'Winterland', which sounds as fresh as it always did. It starts without the venomous spit but ends, as ever, with one of Peno’s oldest and most enigmatic lines: "I live in an igloo in the polar zone/ And at night I dream." And then they’re off, leaving with a growl of humming feedback and roars of approval.

by Trevor Block