The good ship Modest Mouse dropped anchor in Liverpool for the first time last night, taking the Academy crowd on a wild and nautical journey into the heart of the indie alt-rock scene.
With a bucketload of seafaring references, from songs March Into the Sea and Missed the Boat to a stage festooned with a ship's lantern, baskets and wine bottles, the Oregon-based band looked and sounded like they'd stepped straight off the Black Pearl.
New album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank sailed into the number one spot in the American charts this summer, and it seems after 15 cultish years together, Modest Mouses ship has finally come in.
The success is down in no small part to a certain Johnny Marr, the only member of the band not to dress like a salty old sea-dog in training. In a red T-shirt and jeans, he looked like the baby of the group last night, dancing around like a teenager.
Its one of only a handful of full-time posts he's filled since leaving The Smiths two decades ago, and he proves to be an enthusiastic new sidekick to Isaac Brock's intense lead role.
Since persuading Marr to join them last year, initially just for a jamming session and now as a permanent addition, they've expanded far beyond alt-rock, crossing over from years on the indie fringes to considerable success.
Playing live it's clear to see the band have evolved to a point where their complex mixture of styles has become an eloquent expression of raw emotions.
Their new material is packed with densely orchestrated sound collages, bursting forth from two drummers, two (and sometimes three) guitarists and an array of trumpets, bass guitars, a double bass, keyboards and a melodeon.
Marr adds the magic ingredient - a sparkling strum here, a jangly riff there, all perfectly timed, effortlessly orchestrated.
The crowd certainly noticed, with cries of "Johnny you're a legend" each time the band paused for breath. If he heard (he must have heard?) he didn't react, throwing himself into the head-nodding, intense playing hes been specialising in for the last 25 years.
Modest Mouse somehow manage to combine the best of old and new, taking retro influences and mixing them up with innovative ideas and imagination. Long may they continue.
9/10 Mighty Mice