There aren't many gigs that end in a 15-minute noise-fest as the guitarist is carried past you in the middle of the crowd on someone's shoulders.

But British Sea Power's triumphant homecoming climaxed with a rumbling wave of sound that left my ears buzzing and my heart racing.

The beautiful noise, which reminded me of The Jesus And Mary Chain at their best, was the highlight of a gig which ranged from the brutal to the surreal.

I was fearing a night of dad-rock judging by the number of balding, grey-haired men in the bar, but the Brighton-based band - who finally seem on the verge of a breakthrough with their new album Do You Like Rock Music? - manage to be both obvious and quirky at the same time.

For once the group, famed for dressing up, left the silly costumes in the box, and stuck to what they do best - playing loud guitar music.

They launched into Remember Me and Canvey Island while a Jerry Garcia lookalike danced on the side of the stage.

Floppy-fringed brothers Yan and Hamilton shared the vocals and it was hard to decide which was the better singer.

The searing Atom is a ready-made single and ended when the band's trumpeter walked into the middle of the stage and wound-up a siren.

The sonic finale of Carrion descended into a musical chaos that was simply exhilarating to watch.