The early arrivals turned out in force for Fabulous Diamonds and their music for the elevator ride to the top floor of the University of Pretension. Taking a good ten to fifteen minutes to drag out a flatly intoned lyric was no crowd pleasing move, but at least it was an apt line to describe the easy distractions sought when pondering the uninspiring work on offer – “does a wandering eye equal a wandering mind”.

Their presence on the bill to a seemed to be a dull nod to the closing track on Primary Colours – the Geoff Barrow produced epic Sea Within a Sea – but while Fab Diamonds occasionally gelled into a vaguely serviceable krautrock they did nothing to engage or endear themselves to the punters. Like those annoying lens less frames currently acting as the facade of choice for the haplessly hip, Fab Diamonds can initially look clever and faintly academic, but on closer inspection it’s far less interesting – desperately cool, but utterly pointless.

Though they’ve been branded with the brush of hype, the headliners suffered no problems in providing both style and substance. Happily restored to their natural, nocturnal habitat (though touring in the early afternoon sun with the Big Day Out) they relished the support of the sold out Corner crowd of blackened souls. With a gurgle of feedback the stage was set for the arrival of The Horrors and their set, which neglected their debut album, Strange House, to focus on the more confidently brooding material from last year’s remarkable Primary Colours.

Stalking the Corner stage as a sneering, leering ghoul Faris Rotter simply demands attention. Like Johnny Rotten, there’s a strong streak of Laurence Olivier’s Richard III in Rotter’s appearance and delivery. His disjointed, twitching dances have led to the spectre of Ian Curtis been cast across the stage, but he’s more triumphant cockroach than Curtis with his glowering confidence. At the highpoint of the show he leans out from the stage smoke to deliver New Ice Age with the force of a manic politician rallying the troops.

The other members of the band fall into support roles behind the charismatic Rotter. Joshua Hayward drew attention by having a roadie on hand to swap his guitars after almost every track. While Rhys Webb looks like a refugee from a jangle of English indie pop acts in his buttoned up shirt as he skips about on bass during the Primary Colours, before trading places with Tom Cowan on keys and snyth for the encore.

After closing with Who Can Say (the blank, dangerous Phil Spector of 2003 recorded by the pop wizard Phil Spector of 1964) and the impressive Sea Within a Sea. A different brand of Horrors returned for the encore, as they skulked back to spit out tracks from Strange House with scrappy underdog bile. They’ve developed an icy confidence with Primary Colours, but the ragged rage of their debut album exploded into the crowd after the slow burn main set. Elbows and bodies were suddenly thrown about, as the unhinged attack of Sheena is a Parasite and the manic fairground organ of Count in Fives. It’s a thrilling jolt to close a superb night of theatre.

Next time we see them they may have twisted into another style, but perhaps for their third act they need to find a way to navigate their records live without needing to make such a schizophrenic divide in their show.

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