There is only one band that can elicit screams of excitement by walking on stage to the sound of a string quartet playing the sombre hymn O Sacred Head Sore Wounded.
The four-piece group, all wearing black and white, consist of drummer Luke Patterson and his brother Jack on keyboards, accompanied by enthusiastic violinist Milan Neil Amin-Smith and bow-flourishing electric cellist Grace Chatto.
Standing in for the guest vocalists from their recordings, big-voiced Florence Rawlings danced around the stage while the compelling Elisabeth Troy swaggered like Baron Samedi in a tailcoat and chains.
The contrast between Clean Bandit’s classical origins, as heard on Mozart’s House, and the summery dance-electronica of their music made for an uneven but upbeat live show. Despite the repetitiveness of many of their lyrics, songs like Nightingale have a wistful beauty.
Sharna Bass joined the band for the arms-in-the-air holiday anthem Extraordinary, while new single Real Love had the youthful, sold-out audience eagerly singing along.
The floor throbbed as hundreds of fans stamped for an encore, which was rewarded by a cover of Robin S’s Show Me Love and finally, Rather Be - the big hit everyone had been waiting for - which sent the crowd home satisfied.
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