It was the ultimate fan gig, with the band playing in a tiny room, just metres away. When Redd Kross did an instore at Waterfront Records, I was blown away to hear them playing acoustic.

Hanging out there at Waterfront, or other Sydney record shops like Phantom or Red Eye, you’d sit cross-legged and squashed in on all sides, tucked between record stands, with dust a constant fixture. The people sitting around were most likely in bands or otherwise impossibly hip, but just by being there for these impromptu shows seemed like it lifted your standing somehow.

There were a couple of great instores at my friends Thommy Tran and Chris Wu’s shop Gifted, but they were packed – standing – and no wonder, with, from memory, Bill Callahan and Architecture in Helsinki.

I guess there are a million ways to get close to your favourite band these days, via a splatter of social media offerings, but hanging out in a tiny shop with a bunch of like minded heads was pretty great.