Irrelevant

From unthinkable tragedy has come celebration across the music community, and this was more than enough motivation for Sydney melodic rockers Irrelevant to jump at the chance to reform for the occasion.

“We’ve always sort of been about the rule that everyone has to want to do it and it has to work for everyone,” explains Mick Anderson, the quintet’s drummer. “We met Nick a few times and we thought this gig is a really good cause and a great vibe.”

With an existence that spanned more than a decade, Anderson and his Irrelevant cohorts released four albums (The Need For Divinity, Reflecting And Refracting, Ascension and New Guilt) and graced stages with the likes of Descendents and Bodyjar. Surprisingly, Anderson is nonchalant about some of those achievements.

“When you’re supporting big bands like that, you’re often just a number,” he says. “I mean, I said g’day to some of the guys in Descendents and they were cool, but you know, beyond that it’s not that much.

“Honestly, we always really enjoyed our own shows,” he adds. “It was like it was our thing.”

It was during one of their own tours that Irrelevant first encountered a young Sofer-Schreiber, later to become known as The Ginger Ninja.

“We had met Nick a few times after some shows in Canberra, and I’d seen him a couple of times at Sydney shows too,” Anderson says. “I think we hung out with him one night at a house party after a show. He was a real nice guy.”

With seven years having passed since their split, things in the Irrelevant camp are quite the muted affair. Despite fielding the odd gig offer from time to time, the decision to take up any booking is met with hesitation and a great deal of consideration. Or as Anderson so eloquently puts it: “You sort of get to the point where, if these shows are not a one-off, it kind of feels like you’re taking the piss by expecting people to come out all the time and watch you play songs that you wrote ten years ago. It also has to be something that isn’t a show for a show’s sake. If this hadn’t have popped up, then I can’t see us having gone to the effort to play again.”

So if the undoubtedly worthy cause and the stellar lineup isn’t enough to coax you into this sweet Saturday of music, beer and a fat middle finger to violence, then don’t say you weren’t warned – because as Anderson makes clear, a full Irrelevant tour isn’t on the cards.

“If we did want to do it properly, then we’d write new music for sure,” he says. “But I don’t think [it’s possible] with our lives at the moment as we’re all a bit older and everyone has certain things going on.

“We’re all quite adult these days. Except for a couple of us,” he laughs.