Death From Above 1979, The Ritz, Manchester

ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder they say.

And that was certainly the case as around 1,500 revellers packed into The Ritz in Manchester on Tuesday to see Death From Above 1979.

The Canadian hard rock duo Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler have been in the north west plenty of times since reforming in 2011.

But this felt like the first time they had properly reconnected with fans thanks to their new acclaimed album, The Physical World, their first record in a decade.

The new songs were hugely welcomed by the crowd and sounded brilliant live. For me, it is the band's best work to date.

Death From Above 1979's music has sometimes been labelled as 'dance punk' and that probably sums it up well.

Keeler's complex and yet catchy bass lines were met with Grainger's galloping drums which saw the audience react in a variety of different ways.

A mosh pit erupted while further back some were dancing wildly while others were simply stroking their chins at the 'maths rock' magic.

The only downside was the set list which could have done with a bit of streamlining. The band's music simply failed to flow from one song to the next.

Keeler and Grainger's interactions with the crowd were also a bit awkward but the chemistry between the pair was electric.

DAVID MORGAN