Whitley take to the stage just before midnight, front man Lawrence Greenwood bolstering his stocks with a band for this tour to celebrate the launch of recent release Go Forth, Find Mammoth. More heavily produced than its predecessor The Submarine in a transition not dissimilar to Coldplay’s Parachutes – A Rush Of Blood To The Head era, the power pop songs of _ Go Forth, Find Mammoth_ offer an overall bigger and more layered sound to previous material.

In tonight’s performance, opener Killer and the dreamlike Bright White Lights highlight this evolution, the new prominence of drum and bass filtering through The Zoo creating an almost cosmic atmosphere. While the newfound grandeur to the music is particularly uplifting, what is most pleasing is the presence of Greenwood’s voice, the huskiness and delicacy remaining intact without becoming lost amongst the flooding melodies beneath.

Despite the title of the tour, it’s not all about _ Go Forth, Find Mammoth_ tonight. The band leave Greenwood solo to perform tunes of The Submarine; I Remember proves a favourite with the crowd, while an early cover of Dancing Queen is performed with such languid beauty that even the greatest ABBA haters like this reviewer are found singing along. The only thing threatening to leave a mark on the evening is Greenwood’s awkward humour, his comments dripping with sarcasm as he cries for quiet and apologies for interrupting punters’ pool games leaving us slightly taken aback. However, he scores a few laughs with his random definition of c&^# farms (a gathering of c!@#’s) and gets on with the music, the perfection and intimacy of the songs performed solo leaving us all warm and fuzzy.

The band rejoin the stage and offer Poison In Our Pockets as the highlight of the evening. The driving force of the song is overwhelming in the live arena and creates a stunning contrast to its lyrics – œwe’re becoming shadows / we’re becoming silhouettes’. Single Head First Down entices the audience to shout-along in unison, before Lost In Time ignites some final dancing around the room. The perfectly selected encore of Let Them Sing sends the audience on their way at the close of an all-too-short evening. Next time, hopefully it will be longer.