Arctic Monkeys - London Astoria

So the second time I have seen the young whippersnappers, and strangely this time in an even smaller venue.It's a fan club gig of sorts - with tickets being released to members first rather than the general public, although the crowd didn't seem quite as mental as at Brixton. Having said that, during Mardy Bum, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and in fact most of the songs from the debut album, the entire crowd it seemed - or certainly the male half, sang along to every word. It was a fine performance by the lads, full of energy and confidence as their biggest hit was thrown away very early.

They kept the momentum going though - at least until the end of the set. They walked off the stage having played everything except their Girls Aloud cover as far as we could tell - and seemingly most of the crowd as there was an exodus despite roadies clearly setting up for an encore. To be honest though it wasn't worth the wait, they came back with Alex on Keyboards and played one pretty dirgy and unmemorable new tune before leaving for good. Next time they must leave on a high - either don't do an encore - or do it properly!