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Modest Mouse take to the stage achingly late to rapturous applause from a pleasingly full o2 Academy.
The baying mob has had a little extra time to inebriate themselves and lose any inhibitions they may have had.
Launching straight into the jarring chords of Bury Me With It, Isaac Brock looks ready for action while his faithful band do their best to keep him in check.
Not many groups could feasibly exist with two drummers but after seventeen years together MM come across as true professionals, their seemingly wayward jams honed to perfection.
The semi-improvised nature of the songs tonight is both a triumph and a downfall, however. The sonic extensions do drag on occasion leaving a craving for a three minute pop gem that they are more than capable of providing.
Thankfully this yearning is catered for. For every brooding, reverb soaked instrumental there is a choppy, riff-laden banger to give the set some weight. Doin’ The Cockroach proves to be a winner as does Fire It Up.
Bukowski is the perfect mixture of aggression and melancholy as Isaac’s surprisingly fragile voice laments “Evil home stereo… what good songs do you know?†It’s moments like this that afford Modest Mouse the time to take a few dark trips into the unknown.
Tonight’s performance is dripping in nostalgia, perhaps due to the lack of new material. Without an album to promote MM plough through an extensive and, most importantly, eclectic back catalogue.
The band seems content to just play their music and share the experience with those who will listen. Judging by the audience response, that certainly isn’t a bad thing.