“Gimme a D! Gimme an Arkness!” cried lead singer Justin Hawkins, impressively bearded and looking uncannily like Fagin-meets-Mr Tumnus from Narnia. There was no doubt about it, The Darkness boys were back in town with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Catsuit? Check. Ludicrous facial hair? Check. Unflinching rock bombast? You bet.

Although splitting up in 2006, just three years after their debut album Permission To Land encouraged the nation to shout “GUITAR!” in a falsetto voice whenever possible, it’s clear any problems within the band are but plectrums in the wind.

This is a group having fun with each other once more – Hawkins skipped about the stage with abandon, taking time to hi-five his brother mid-guitar solo before standing on his head.

From the kitsch – fake snow fell from the ceiling during Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) – to the legendary – Hawkins sat atop a bouncer’s shoulders and was walked through the crowd playing a guitar solo – The Darkness were true showmen.

No other band could successfully segue a song about a mythical East Anglian hell-hound (Black Shuck) into a riff-laden confession about STDs (Growing On Me), and it was a joy to watch a British guitar band eschew the hipster angst in favour of good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

Their new songs might not necessarily sound a whole lot different to the old stuff, but who cares? With The Darkness, sheer brilliance sits side by side with sheer silliness, and we are so lucky to have them back.