The recently opened Sheffield Academy was a well suited environment for a band so keen on atmosphere. Dramatic velvet drapes line the stage, an imposing balcony circles the stage and the stalls below. Even the lighting for the bar is very low key, adding to the demure nature of the band. Arriving onto stage with a video screen fizzing into life, the band work their way into glorious opener ‘Pioneer to the Falls’ which builds to a crescendo of imposing drums, neatly worked synths and arresting guitar work before tearing into a thunderously immediate version of ‘Slow Hands’, Daniel Kessler’s feet sliding and moving in gloriously energetic and enthusiastic arcs, as his hands do similar things with the guitar.

The set quickly fills with tracks from sophomore LP ‘Antics’, with a smattering of album tracks from debut LP, ‘Turn On The Bright Lights.’ A song from the latter included the ever-brooding Hands Away, which while scant on lyrics, builds malevolently to a pulsating cacophony; a slight hiccup mid-song does nothing to dampen the bands’ spirits as cobwebs are brushed aside. Mid-set, the band decided to oddly play Lighthouse, a glorious ending to latest LP, ‘Our Love To Admire,’ but with few lyrics and dominated by one guitar which slowly evolves into a sombre funeral march, it’s an incongruous choice for a set that had, until that point, been so vital and urgent. Bringing things back to pace with a rousing version of Not Even Jail, the band really hit their pace; Sam Fogarino’s drumming of intense tightness and Paul Banks’ vocals as insistent and as powerfully unique as captured on CD. Bassist Carlos Dengler was unusually subdued, his regular vibrant bass-lines and ‘dance moves’ replaced by an intense concentration that often saw him engage with his band mates rather than the audience.

The sound at the new venue was superb throughout, with only the synths lost in the mix, a shame given their prominence on recent LPs, but the insistent showmanship of Kessler throwing his energy into his guitar and body all over the stage provides the visual contrast to Banks’ sombre yet intense vocals. In fact, for a man of so few words or movement, Banks is bizarrely captivating, a rock star allure unable to replicate or truly articulate. The set draws to an end with a exhilarating rendition of ‘Roland’, Banks unrelenting delivery dragging the song along with him and with it the crowd who all night long provide a suitably enthusiastic and energetic audience, the band clearly feeding off this and acknowledging it vocally, particularly notable given the bands’ infamous silence during shows.

The encore was clearly one for the fans. ‘NYC’, one of the debut LPs furtive highlights, is replicated with appropriate menace before the band tear into a manic and purposefully loud ‘Heinrich Manoeuvre.’ Despite some fans’ protest, it remains one of the bands’ most immediate and glorious songs to date. Finishing on the rarely-played ‘Obstacle 2′, the band successfully managed to appease a mixed crowd with choices of established album tracks, commercial ‘hits’ and what were clearly band-favourites. As the band leaves the stage, all smiles and wide-eyes, the crowd reflect on a set made that seemed all the more transitory by the insistence of the bands’ performance. 15 songs in length, the set only felt brief through an appetite for more, on such impervious form this was a show that saw a band often viewed as detached, impersonal and exuding an elusive cool become as unrelenting and entertaining as anyone with only half as many good songs. Their best show in years.

Photograph copyright, Richard Mushet and used under a Creative Commons License.