"The Duks are back in the nest!"
Peking Duk's Reuben Styles and Adam Hyde couldn't contain their joy to be back in their hometown of Canberra on Thursday night.
Their pop-up performance at The RUC in Turner was packed, as local fans became the first to hear live tunes from the pair's debut studio album, Paradise, which dropped in the early hours of Friday.
"You're the first in the damn world to hear this!," Styles yelled to the crowd, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
The debut album comes 16 long years after the electronic duo formed Peking Duk.
And the pair was euphoric as they introduced never-before-heard music from Paradise to their hometown crowd.
"It's a celebration!" Hyde told the heaving mass at The RUC.
"Canberra, we love you!"
The Canberra born-and-bred musicians announced in March they were making their first album after teaming up in the national capital back in 2010. They made the announcement on social media back then in typical cheeky style.
"A statement regarding the future of Peking Duk. After 16 years, Adam and I have made the difficult decision to end this chapter of our lives. We have cherished every moment of this journey with you.
"Every sweaty club show and every festival we've headlined has truly been a dream come true. But, deep down, we know it's time for us to evolve.
"So we finally made a move that we thought we would never have to make. WE RECORDED AN ALBUM."
The fact the duo chose The RUC, with its intact bowling greens and cheap schnitty nights, to unleash Paradise to the world, was on-brand for the album, which features a close-up of a tanned, older bloke at the beach in his budgie smugglers.
Instead of a festival or big stage gig, Peking Duk debuted Paradise at The RUC on a Thursday night - uni -night - with the Panthers v Roosters rugby league game playing on a screen behind them and the Keno numbers falling on another screen across the room.
A bunch of fluro-shirted tradies sat in a corner. The band even did the honours and pulled out the winning ticket for the night's meat tray raffle.
The winner of the meat tray was Tammy Bush from Macquarie, a massive Peking Duk fan.
"I think because they are from Canberra and that always makes it more special," she said.
"It just goes to show that good things do come from Canberra."
Also at the gig were Dickson College students Asher Jones, Ned Adams and Ben Turvey, who were all thrilled to know the Peking Duk stars went to the same school.
"It felt like such a good opportunity to hear the album for the first time," Ben said.
"Like, they've been out for such a long time and never released an album, so to be able to experience it in the hometown, was really awesome."
Asher was proud to be a fellow Dickson College student with Hyde and Styles.
"Our media teacher is the same as their media teacher. She told us what kind of kids they were," Asher said.
"It kind of inspires us to want to skip class and smoke." Jokes, people.
Also at the show was Canberra Paralympian Louise Ellery, one of the people who was part of the documentary fronted by Styles, Scar Tissue, about the aftermath of being in a serious car accident.
She was rocking on and enjoying life.
The set was sweaty and energetic and Peking Duk couldn't have been happier.
"Words can't express how special this has been," Styles said.
"From the bottom of our sweaty hearts, thank you Canberra!"
After the show, on his way to a van taking them back to Sydney, Adam Hyde said the whole experience had been "lovely".
And Peking Duk will be back.
Their Paradise tour kicks off next month, with the boys back in Canberra on October 30 for a gig at the UC Refectory.
