Perhaps owing a little to the now cemented Emo sub-culture, Death Cab For Cutie seem to have found themselves some new fans. Managing to sell out two mid-week shows at The Forum, these endearing American geeks were preaching to an already converted mass of mainly early twenties. While there’s no way these kids were listening to the band in the Something About Airplanes days, they knew every song, not to mention every word, and were more than happy to indulge the group in a slightly egotistical 90 minute set.

Delving into a pretty diverse cross-section from their six-album back-catalogue, it was actually the crowd response that was more outstanding than show tonight. It’s been said, and it’ll be said again, Death Cab For Cutie don’t really do a lot on stage. Sure they’re a solid unit and seasoned professionals, but apart from front man Benjamin Gibbard’s outrageously odd and continual jitter, there’s not a lot to watch. Likewise while their live sound isn’t bad, it’s not mind-blowing either.

There are glimpses of sonic artistry in sections of songs like We Looked Like Giants, but there’s also moments when something seems lacking. After a few good listens to the albums, and I’ll show a non-bias by admitting my fandom of each and every Death Cab record, but I couldn’t help but feel an occasional lack of depth to tonight’s sound. You can’t blame this on the venue – Youth Group’s set sounded amazing – so maybe it’s just the Death Cab live sound?

That said there were times when the power of Gibbard’s voice and his hook-laden songs overcame. The feeling of a thousand people singing in unison to something as uplifting as The Sound of Settling, is undeniably joyous. And that’s exactly what makes Death Cab For Cutie a worthwhile act. That despite any really onstage zest or explosive sound, Gibbard and co have shaped together enough quality songs that they can rely on this alone. With one of the most ferociously demanded encores, I guess most people agreed.