“DO YOU mean to say it’s really over and we’ve had our day?” asks the Deaf School lyric, sung last night by the flamboyant Enrico Cadillac Jnr in a show that set the Everyman on fire.

Three decades after they blew the minds of audiences at Liverpool punk club Eric’s and influenced a generation of musicians, it’s hard to believe their day will ever quite be over.

They’re looking older these days but their vigour hasn’t waned and neither has their power to entertain, delivering a gig that felt more like a party than a concert.

The Everyman has been given a cabaret-style make-over for three nights only, with round tables in front of the stage and a backdrop of ruched red curtains.

There were a few extra treats thrown in for the first night audience – in the form of supporting acts Henry Priestman of the Wild Swans and the Christians, who was first encouraged to take up music by Deaf School’s Clive Langer, and a rare appearance of the Lightning Seeds Ian Broudie with his son Riley.

A melancholy lone saxophone opened the main part of the show, with Enrico slowly making his entrance down the staircase in the middle of the audience.

A moment’s calm – before the sort of energetic and crazy performance that made Deaf School one of the best-loved bands in Liverpool.

Bette Bright was fabulously coquettish in a black sequin dress with a piano keyboard running around the bottom.

The naughty but nice singer delivered her solos, including the last piece of the night Final Act, in dramatically husky tones.

Meanwhile, the other band members were reassuringly bonkers – the Reverend Max Ripple slotting in a brief sermon half way through to give the other voices a break.

Knock Knock Knocking, Last Night, Cocktails at Eight, Hi Jo Hi and Taxi all featured in a playlist reminiscent of a myriad other bands – until you remember that Deaf School came along first.

Melodramatic, zany and just camp enough – this is a group that would impress without the gimmicks.

Yet despite their massive following at home, the great tragedy is that, in this incarnation at least, their musical careers never quite took off.

But if last night’s return to the stage was anything to go by, they will continue to influence and inspire for a long time yet.

READ an interview with Deaf School at www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/arts