'Did you have PBS on this morning?' I'm talking radio, to my hubs, because we drove to work in separate cars for once. I've got a particular song in my head really, really loud - and I want to share my joy.

'Yeah - I turned it up loud,' he said. It was God's 'My Pal', a song we still get excited listening to, even after all these years - more for me, who saw the band perform live in the '80's, but Jamie fell in love with the tune as well. I mean, you can't not, if you understand the noise rock of the '80's. The song became something of an underground hit, and was the kinda music I was listening to instead of the more mainstream Kylie Minogue and Pseudo Echo. God were known for their abrasive, raw sound, and even all these years, that youthful vibrancy and angst screams down the radio as if it was fresh and new. 'You're my only friend', the lead singer screams, 'and you don't even like meeee'. He was only 15 when he wrote the song - the same age as my nephew is now, with his own release on Spotify - so I guess the lyrics make sense.

In 1987, Australia's punk, garage and noise rock scene was pretty strong. I was two years off 18, so didn't miss anything - it roared well into the early '90's. If you aren't Australian, you might be familiar with that kind of sound - think Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Butthole Surfers, Jesus and Marychain, Helmet.

For me, it was exhilarating - a counter to the formulaic tunes of mainstream radio. My young punk heart loved the intensity of these bands - the experimentation, the willingness to challenge the conventions of music, an immersive experience that was disorientating and exhilariting. I can still hear the Butthole Surfers wailing: 'who the hell was in my room last night, who the hell was in my roooooom', a wild ride through dissonant surrealism. Or think Sonic Youth's 'Kool Thing' - distorted guitars, alternative tuning, noise and melody, gritty and unpolished, chaotic and edgy. Damn, I loved the noise rock era.

Gosh, take me me back to the Barwon Club in a black dress and Doc Martins and a willingness to drink shots from the bar. Take me back to the mosh pit whilst sweaty bands gave us wild rides through synth feedbacks and wa wa pedals. Take me back to waking up in my Valiant in the alleyway in the morning with the windows foggy and my ears ringing. Back then I couldn't believe my life would eventually not have this noise in favourite of much more chilled dub reggae or world folk.

Custom Credit by Cosmic Psychos, for example - they're still playing in pubs around Australia and we freaking love 'em still. I saw these guys when they were super young, stripped down to nothing on stage with their penises tucked between their legs. Yep. This song is quintesstial noise rock - distorted guitar, pounding drums, raw. It's minimal, DIY, straightforward. Fuck you, the Psychos seem to say. We're getting naked. HAnd me a beer.

That's what the '80's and 90's noise rock scene in Australia provided - the raw energy of punk with avant garde approaches to sound which pushed the boundaries of what music could be - something visceral, intense, resonating with listeners like me who were desperate for something beyond the mainstream we hated. It felt like it mirrored the unpredictably of the world around us that we were growing up in. You don't forget that in a hurry.

And if you liked Junk, try 'Degenerate Boy', 'Little Susie' and 'Girl'. Bored! hailed from Geelong, near where I'm from, so I'm particularly fond of this memory of a little known band that is no more. Tim Hemensley was also in God! - and another Aussie band called the Powder Monkeys, and died of a heroin overdose in 2003. A few other members of the band have also died since, but also played in other well known Aussie bands like Magic Dirt.

It's kinda a shame the music industry isn't really supporting music anymore, and certainly not live music - it's underfunded and a lot of pub venues are shutting. THe '80's and '90's were a bit of a golden era in that regard.

So hearing 'My Pal' this morning took me right back to feeling that punk hearted joy, even if I was a middle aged teacher telling kids what to do for the rest of the day.