Imagine a room full of musical mayhemists: Mike Patton (Faith No More), Buzz Ozzborne (Melvins), Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer) you’re bound to come up with something as simultaneously bizarre as it is genius – and Fantômas is exactly that. The four-piece noise-rock band has created a sound, or even genre, made up of a carefully orchestrated spontaneity.

Fant̫mas shows take all the good bits out of a live act and jam them into one extremely tight set: vocals, guitar, bass and drums in a scarily fast, loud, coma inducing session. So it was a strange thing to arrive at show on a Sunday night, having witnessed the thick row of punters backed up outside, and quickly find myself lounging back in a velvet chair much like I was moments before in my living room. Sitting down at the ornate Enmore Theatre I began to expect a quiet evening at the symphony Рnot the set that was to come.

Jay Katz (Jamie Leonarder) soon entered the stage and began to play an aptly chosen mix of eccentric tunes, setting the mood for the night straight. From homage to 1960s sci-fi, to the robotic blips of the popcorn song, our DJ jolted and mimed like a mad scientist to his creations. The growing crowd – black-clad Slayer fans, Faith No More t-shirt bearers and side-project obsessors – watched on in bemusement as a jerky electronic take on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue came bouncing out from the speakers.

As the wait went on (the main act was running fashionably late) Jay Katz dodged the usual taunts thrown from the anxious crowd, and closed masterfully with Team America’s Fuck Yeah!

Fantômas piled on to the stage and launched into their first song, the near bursting crowd fixated on every their move. Patton’s vocals leapt from child-like warbles to deafening shrieks, while his body took on the appearance of a marionette – invisible strings seizing him to life after every moment of calm. Although Patton to a large extent controlled the action, the band frequently took their queues from drummer Dave Lombardo, launching into action as he thrashed his kit. And who needs two hands when in the middle of a ferocious riff you can break a stick and continue one handed without missing a beat?

This act could easily be mistaken for experimental improvisation, but the reality is far from that – every seemingly erratic sound had been orchestrated without losing any of its spontaneity.

The show carried a constant heart beat that in places slowed to a pulse or sped wild with momentum. This was paralleled with the music’s thematic approach – rather than a set list of ‘tracks’ Fantômas merged songs around a focus point rather like a score. The band however did not lend attention to any particular record, instead mixing elements of each into a set that anticipated surprise with each transition.

Low pitched, monastery choir-like sounds and resonating gong chimes spread a sinister lull over the crowd, but were soon again broken by the cartoon imitations of Fantômas newest release, Suspended Animation. The lighting show doubled the atmosphere, mirroring the onstage moods with dark, sweeping back lights then sharp neon blinders. Despite the music’s random surges some attempted to mosh but most, having learnt from previous shows, reserved their concentration for the battle on stage.

Unlike some nights when your feet are begging for the band to wrap it up, this was a perfectly timed finish. The entire set brimmed with impulse, structure, and damn good performances Рand what punter could ask for more? Fant̫mas have the ability to fit a bombshell into a modest set Рone of the many reasons their fans keep coming back for more.