Arctic Monkeys Blast Through Kool Haus

Arctic Monkeys continue to outrun the shadow of their own hype, which looms unnervingly large now that they've released Favourite Worst Nightmare, the follow-up to last year's precocious Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Luckily, they seem to have enough professionalism to stay grounded, as is evident in both their new disc and in their live performance. Not since seeing Muse at the Kool Haus in 2004 have I witnessed such superhuman, electric precision on that room's stage.

Backed by five simple torch-like spotlights that pulsed like mini-supernovas synchronized to the music, the Sheffield quartet shredded their way through a manically paced 75-minute set.

With most songs averaging about two-and-a-half minutes, it wasn't hard to fit most of their repertoire into the short but sweet recital. The first half of the set was devoted to material from Whatever People Say I Am, the only song perceptibly left out being fan fave "Mardy Bum." But "Fake Tales Of San Francisco," "Dancing Shoes" and, of course, "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" had the audience in a lather.

Singer Alex Turner maintained a healthy banter with the audience in between their lighting-strike displays, but was ironically more difficult to understand when he was chatting than when he was singing the lyrics, which he spat out at the speed of a well-oiled semi-automatic.

"Have we worn your arse out already?" he enquired, and then mocked his own accent by repeating the phrase with an increasingly American inflection. The band were also bemused when some impromptu confetti rained down from the stage. "We didn't bring it, but it's a welcome addition."

It seemed like everyone (including the bartenders) knew the lyrics to the older songs, as they sang and clapped along fervently. The real action, though, took place in the "nucleus" — as Turner dubbed it — of the audience near the stage, where the show's spastic energy drove young bodies to collide or glide on top of one another like particles on speed.

The second half of the set favoured material from the freshly pressed Favourite Worst Nightmare, with "Fluorescent Adolescent" and current single "Brianstorm" enjoying the biggest receptions, while in-between-albums single "Leave Before The Lights Come On" also made an appearance.

The well-practiced cohesion and exactitude was as much impressive as it was slightly mechanical. Juggling insane time signatures and thundering through songs at breakneck speed, the band seemed determined to break some sort of record for the most impressive hit-and-run show ever. Closing the spastic festivities with "A Certain Romance," the Monkeys left out the formalities of an encore. With that, everyone began to leave, sweaty and buzzing, just as the lights came on.