Hurts: high five for building the atmosphere

Stars: ****

Opening with the Muse-esque ‘Exile’ with its teeth-shattering bass line, Hurts soon dive into the sublime melodrama of ‘Wonderful Life’.

But ‘Somebody To Die For’ exposes the danger of Hurts’ love affair with drama. Instead of yearning, it comes across as schmaltz, and you can almost picture the key movie slow-mo scene it could soundtrack.

‘Evelyn’ is accompanied by excellent lighting design. ‘Illuminated’ does the job, and ‘Better Than Love’ is immensely satisfying. As the crowd grows, and audience choreography of hands in the air reaches a pinnacle during ‘Stay’, both punters and band deserve a high five for building atmosphere.

The six musicians deliver a fairly flawless performance, but even with some over the top mic stand vandalism, there’s something a little cold about the whole shebang.