One of the lines from Spoon’s most famous song is We Rarely Practice Discern and it sums up the night. I don’t know why but the atmosphere in the room wasn’t inspiring at first, although there were moments. But it didn’t seem discerning at all, especially when the first band came on.

Faker opened the night with a solid set. They played their songs and got the kids going. Songs like Quarter To Three and Hurricane were standouts for the crowd at the front. The kids (on overload no doubt) loved it (and oh yes the teenage girls too) but although their songs can be quite catchy on record; live, the lead singers antics were just tired and pretentious. It was easy to see however that his stage presence inspires adoration from many though.

With some hot opening music from none other than Prince, Spoon came on stage to much cheering. And cheer they did. It’s strange that a band so small from Austin, Texas has become so big here. And let just hope its not because of the OC. Spoon are different, they genuinely look like they are having fun and seem to react well to the enthusiasm of the audience. Strange, but it feels like people have left, or maybe it was just more spread out.

The sound on their record which shot them to fame Kill The Moonlight is clear and distinctive. They have a unique sound with their keys and singer’s Britt Daniels voice, on which you can sometimes hear a southern drawl.They played at least half the set from the new album Gimme Fiction. And it was obvious that they wanted to make the crowd dance when I Turn My Camera On arrived. You could literally see the crowd move, the repetitive guitars making even the surliest of indie kids tap their feet. And after that we were sold.

The highlight was to be sure, their hit The Way We Get By and the crowd erupted singing all the words. It was a special moment. It has almost become an anthem for this generation. A catchy pop number with lyrics like

We go out in stormy weather
We rarely practice discern
We make love to some with sin
We seek out the taciturn
That’s the way we get by
to where we get by alright
that’s the way we get by
to where we get by

in Jonathon Fisk and Sister Jack with their poppy beats were highlights. But they also have a talent for the slower songs off both albums like I Summon You and The Delicate Place.

The whole gig though there was something lacking, whether it was the venue, or the crowd or even the band themselves – they didn’t really leave time for applause between songs. A strange occurrence… perhaps a disdain for the audience? At times it felt like they were going through the motions. But they were still having fun and so were we. So in the end it didn’t really matter.

There’s something that makes you smile while watching Spoon. Perhaps it’s their tambourines and bells. It’s catchy and its fun, but don’t let that make you think that it’s not intelligent. Spoon write some of the most intelligent pop songs around, even if they are underrated. But who cares really? Not the fans and certainly not the band.

Because we are all getting by just fine.