There is a very specific feeling that accompanies the first few guitar chords of a defining mid-2000s indie-rock anthem. Recently, at the legendary Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida, The Wombats tapped directly into that feeling, delivering a performance that was less of a standard concert and more of a glorious time machine.

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Catching The Wombats on their latest tour is a stark reminder of a different, simpler era in music consumption. It brings you right back to the early 2000s—a transitional moment when the brick-and-mortar giant Tower Records was closing its doors forever, making way for the meticulously curated digital libraries of iTunes. If you were there, you remember exactly what your playlists looked like: heavy doses of The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, and Bloc Party loaded onto an iPod, soundtracking a generation.

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Seeing the band take the stage at an intimate outdoor venue like Jannus Live was truly a pleasure. It was a chance to witness a group that has contributed deeply to the landscape of modern alternative music. They proved that the angular guitars, infectious dance-punk beats, and high energy that defined their early records still possess the exact same bite and vibrancy today.