Mohicans, spider eyes, white ties and braces were kind of what I was expecting.

Ageing Suggs-alikes in checkered socks Doing the Dog with middleaged spread.

But in fact it was a mass teen following, some in their school uniforms, which made up this boisterous crowd.

The over-14s sign on the flyer should have given me a clue this wasnt just going to be a nostalgia fest.

The other surprise was that the God awful racket which is ska punk is really good. Mental but addictive, it appeals to your inner child.

Once Over gave a stomping performance, throwing their spindly, half-naked bodies about with killer zeal. The saxophonist was excellent too. Fisticuffs also put on a great show and were a lot friendlier than their name suggests.

The audience crashed around frantically in response and I sorely regretted wearing flipflops on the dance floor.

It must have been one of the hottest days of the year and it felt like the armpit of Brighton in there. The beer spilled, sweat dripped, the elaborately-painted smokey eyes began to run.

It is hard to see how this hard, fast and anarchic noise evolved from the sweet Jamaican sounds of the Fifties, or even the bouncy, cheeky tunes of 2-Tone.

When the more classic bands came on stage they sounded a bit boring by comparison. Although it was a pleasure to see the Brighton-based Too Many Crooks bouncing to songs about bondage.

Dave Cook on vocals, who formed the band after a Bad Manners gig in 1992, clearly loves doing his stuff and was well appreciated by the crowd. Headliners The Hotknives also went down a storm with their faithful following, although by then there was a much older audience.

It all sounded pretty different and there must have been two decades difference between the younger and older bands. But rebelliousness and a sense of humour keeps these diverse ska styles alive, along with the fantastic horn and sax sounds.