In March 2006, Against Me! performed a show at London’s LA2 which became their first live album, Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!. Urgent, angry and exciting, it’s the exhilarating sound of a band with everything to play for. Eight years on, much has changed. The venue has disappeared, two members of the band quit, and in 2012, singer, songwriter and guitarist Tom Gabel became Laura Jane Grace.

But, more than ever, Against Me! have something to say, and from the first chords of FuckMyLife666, they’re as compelling as ever. Hurtling through 21 songs in just an hour and 15 minutes, the band blend the raw punk rock of 2002 debut Reinventing Axl Rose with the polished punk pop of latest album Transgender Dysphoria Blues. The progression of their sound is reflected in Grace’s vocal, which turns from a venomous roar on Pints of Guinness Make You Strong to an authoritative rumble for I Was a Teenage Anarchist.

She’s a charismatic, nervy figure with kohl-lined eyes, bouncing enthusiastically alongside new bassist Inge Johansson, who has a fondness for Pete Townshend’s guitar gimmicks. Guitarist James Bowman is more stoic as he joins Johansson and Grace for three-part harmonies on Walking Is Still Honest and while the songs never deviate far from power chords and furious melodies, the band’s strength lies in this rich sound, propelled by ex-Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom Willard.

But it’s Grace’s ability to write about both the political (Osama bin Laden as the Crucified Christ) and deeply personal (True Trans Soul) with equal passion that keeps Against Me! interesting, and it’s their big anthemic choruses that make them fun. As Grace comments: “It feels good to be alive, right?”

When the band return to the stage for an encore, they do so to the sound of the audience not clapping or cheering, but reverently singing We Laugh at Danger and Break All the Rules, and echoing Grace’s sentiment.