Spotted! Simon from Klaxons snogging Lovefoxx of CSS fame!

It seems this tour has descended into a big old love in - a lot of tonight’s crowd are in love with the idea of ‘New Rave’ than the actual music on display. You see New Rave does not exist, it’s getting boring saying this but people need to wise up to the fact that it’s merely a construct for the NME  and Glowstick makers to get giddily rich from gullible punters. Luckily, however, the bands encased in this marketing scheme are all brilliant. Putting CSS and Klaxons together is a masterstroke as they have produced two of the best singles of the last 12 months and both pack considerable heat in the live arena.

First up are New Young Pony Club. Thanks to the poor organisational skills that blight this event every year most people are queuing when the band take to the stage. This does not deter them though and they blast through a spiky set topped of brilliantly by ‘Ice Cream’ and new single ‘The Bomb’.

As The Sunshine Underground take to the stage a mass has developed in front of them and they are ripe for a half hour of lager fuelled dance tracks. Lucky then that the Sunshine boys are the best around at providing said music. ‘Put You In Your Place’, ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Borders’ are all amazing doses of Arctic Monkeys energy meets Gossip style soul that not just warms up the crowd, but gets them hot, sticky and sweaty. ‘Commercial Breakdown’ gets the rapturous welcome it deserves and ‘Panic Attack’ is a cowbell ridden slab of funk that sends things stratospheric.

And there are still two bands left. Oh yes!

CSS know how to work a crowd. Taking to the stage in black gowns and disrobing in time to 2 Unlimited’s ‘No Limit’ they are a sight to behold.  Lead singer Lovefoxx speaks with a delightful mixture of broken English and utter filth urging everyone to “Kiss a stranger and listen to a band that split up” before ‘Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above’. Other set highlights include ‘Off The Hook’, ‘Alala’ and the charmingly sweet ‘Alcohol’. The crowd have taken to throwing their glowsticks at the bands. CSS are pelted, but it’s affectionate, for tonight Liverpool loves CSS.

The echoes of ‘Golden Skans’ have been permeating brains for a good few weeks now and thanks to massive exposure it seems everyone in here wants it to be played 12 times as part of Klaxons set. It’s a good song yes, but for all of those who heard ‘Atlantis To Interzone’ a year ago and got so excited, it’s a little but like a bad Hard-Fi B-side. Luckily Klaxons pummel their set and adoring crowd into the floor with feral versions of ‘The Bouncer’, ‘Atlantis’, ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ and new favourite ‘Totem On The Timeline.’ A real Spinal Tap moment is seen when keyboard player Jamie shouts out “Hello Manchester!” a chorus of boos soon follow. As his fellow bandmates laugh bassist Jamie then shouts across to Simon Reynolds “Let’s fucking Kill this” in a Cockney Gangster type manner that is perhaps funnier than the Spinal Tap moment. Laugh we may but Klaxons slayed the crowd tonight with their unique blend of pop perfection and club bangers.