Taking a break from the arena circuit, Bay Area titans Machine Head hit Concorde 2 for an - increasingly rare - up close and personal performance.

Among the most successful acts in contemporary metal, the four-piece were on scintillating form from start to finish, meeting with an ear-splitting, beer-swilling reception.

The last two-and-a-bit decades have seen countless upheavals and line-up shifts, the band’s recorded catalogue boasting a handful of classics and the odd mixed bag. To their credit Robb Flynn and co fired out a little of everything, from the fire-spitting fury of early anthems Davidian and Old right through to new single Killers And Kings. They even tipped their hat to the much-maligned Supercharger, in the form of Bulldozer.

Darkness Within (from 2011’s Unto The Locust) proved an emotionally charged highlight, the audience belting out its closing refrain with incredible passion. Of course, the hyper-technical frenzy of Aesthetics Of Hate was up there too.

Machine Head had never headlined in Brighton before, and seemed genuinely humbled by the response. Perhaps the city will make its way onto their future tour itinerary.

Either way, this was an evening to remember for the city’s many metalheads. And not just because of the hangover.