Arcade Fire

After rustling up a cooked breakfast in an attempt to play a pale approximation of a genial host, I see my houseguests off onto their trains and then grab a little recovery time before K, S, D and I head to the MEN Arena to catch Arcade Fire.

I'm on record as not being a fan of arena or stadium gigs, so it has to be an exceptional act that can persuade me that they might just be able to pull off a show worth seeing in such a venue.

My faith in Arcade Fire is repaid. Sure it lacks the intimate wonders of St John's, Smith Square, but they've found a way to expand their magic to work the larger space. The use of projections onto the backdrop and mini screens, opened the show up to the larger venue, without seriously compromising the beauty of their performance.

And there's one serious advantage to an Arcade Fire in front a crowd this large, being amongst 14,000 people singing the chorus to Wake Up is quite something.