Seldom has a band ever emerged onstage to an onslaught of cheers quite like these two gentlemen stir up. Interestingly, when entering the venue prior to the band coming on, it was obvious to note how many more adoring fans were congregated around Alex Turner’s end of the stage but then, what else would you expect from a chap who has gone on and caused that level of success around the world. Kane on the other hand, drew a slightly smaller crowd but then he seems to get the flack for being the tail coat clinger somewhat. This would turn out to be quite the opposite tonight though as Kane became more of the star of the show whilst Turner became unbearably parodic.

The scene was set well by the string section who reeled the crowd into the night; slow strings crooned before the dazzlingly bright shirt of Kane – making him look slightly like La-La from the Teletubbies – and the open-necked shirt of Turner emerged from the darkness. Opening the set with ‘The Age Of The Understatement’ was a nostalgic thrust back to 2008; its relentless pace mixed with the scuzzed riffs of Kane set the mark very high for the rest of the evening.

However, this is what seemed to define much of the night. The older songs sounded much bigger, much more polished and well-rounded as songs – and I don’t think this is entirely down to the fact the new album is unreleased yet. The stage persona from the boys that wrapped around older songs, the likes of ‘My Mistakes Were Made For You’, ‘The Meeting Place’, ‘Separate and Ever Deadly’ and ‘Only The Truth’; suggested that they are still to find the confidence and experience in how to project the newer material. The closest we got to Kane and Turner finding roots in their separate musical endeavours is with ‘In My Room’, a song that boasts quick fire guitar lines, Kane’s rock’n’roll charisma and audacious lighting; it even riles up the slightly tepid crowd.

Out of the nineteen song set, nine new songs are aired giving the crowd a good chance to get an ear around Everything You’ve Come To Expect prior to its release this Friday. From the lot, ‘Sweet Dreams, TN’ sounds outstanding, it sees Turner croon at the start before erupting into something much larger than life at the end. If it was all about the mammoth ego with no substance, The Last Shadow Puppets would arguably fall flat into the landfill of lost egos along with the likes of Viva Brother, however the musicianship and song-writing prowess is just as prominent as anything else. Everything from the way funk bass-lines are built in through to the catchy melodies, the song-writing talent is so hard to ignore. The title track from the new album is played towards the close of the first set and sees the stage engulf into the carnival-psychedelia of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour with sunshine tinted lights cast upwards. The performance is close to perfect asides from the tragic dancing of the two front-men, this may be something to come in future days as currently they both have the talent of a 14-year old who has drunk too much of his dad’s home-brew before his debut at the school disco.

It’s hard to ignore the incessant arrogance from Alex Turner at the performance and it unfortunately taints what could have been so great. The room is just about big enough for the two monstrous egos onstage and the monstrous sound that is omitted from them. Greeting the crowd with a truly bizarre accent, “Gerrrrd everning Briiighton” – it becomes so hard to find what he is trying to get at and whether or not he is someone we can still take seriously; meanwhile his pal Miles giggles to himself in the corner like the kid who has just heard his friend say a naughty word for the first time. It’s a hard point to ignore with the band and a point that is being raised more and more. Credit to Miles Kane where it’s due though, if anybody is to possess any element of stardom within the band still, it is him. He may have come across slightly offbeat in recent interviews with his cheeky-chappy personality that is becoming slightly more lady hooligan, however you get the sense he still appreciates the crowd in front of him. He is thankful of them, greets them without any false pretence and he genuinely looks like he is enjoying himself.

When all is said and done, you can completely get what The Last Shadow Puppets are going for. They can just about pull the whole rock-star thing off right now. It is getting slightly obscure as they have both changed so much since their last album and now have about as much charm as a dead hamster but in a live setting, the music sounds fantastic. Showcasing their epic cover of The Beatles ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ acts as testament to this and if you really try, you can separate the music and ego – it’s not easy though as you have the Trans-Atlantic persona of Turner combing his hair every couple of minutes, blowing kisses at himself. If you see them, I recommend placing your focus on Miles Kane, he seems to be running the ship, bizarrely, but he’s steering it slightly on course.
Tom Churchill