Rat Boy, Kentish Town Forum, London

Tonight, after rousing support slots from members of London collective Greasy Deep and the disco-tinged Bad Sounds, Rat Boy crashes onstage to the sound of police sirens and launches into a set filled with tinny samples and observant lyrics.

‘Move’ is an early standout, its choppy beat churning through the crowd. The enthusiasm of his audience has been widely noted - tonight is no exception. There are several sweat-soaked casualties as the pit swirls itself into a frenzy. He consistently pleads with the crowd to “spread out, c’mon, I know you can do it” – partly to prevent injuries and partly because they’re trying to film a video. There’s little success corralling the bodies down the front, who crash back into each other almost as soon as they have stepped apart.

The Essex native’s fondness for R&B comes through during soul-inspired jam ‘Get Over It’, before ‘Left 4 Dead’ and ‘Wasteman’ ramp up the energy towards the end of the main set. He wraps up with latest single ‘Cash in Hand’, saying “this is the one we’re filming the video for, yeah?” as the band ditch their instruments to prowl around the stage. Their exit is hidden by a bright flash before the lights go down. But the self-aware encore isn’t for them – they’ve been gone less than a minute before sirens and smoke signal their return.

‘Sign On’ brings the biggest cheer of the night, and its hyperactive buzz spills over into closer ‘Fake ID’. With tonight’s minimum age limit set to eight, and the average closer to fifteen, a large portion of the crowd still have their fake ID years ahead of them. If this gig is anything to go by they’ll gladly use Rat Boy for the soundtrack.