My first sight of the Cambridge Corn Exchange was three overexcited fifteen year olds emptying their insides onto a dreary looking pavement. As the bouncer ushered them and their vomit elsewhere, we hopscotched over the debris into a packed out foyer. The attendees were an odd bunch; Duran-Duran fathers brushed shoulders with kids who wouldn’t have looked out of place at a JLS concert.

As we delved further into the static, lifeless crowd a ‘lost’ Justin Lee Collins look-alike repeatedly thrust beer into the hands of our bemused friend. After a polite refusal, she directed him towards an overexcited Alan Carr. Alt-J’s arrival was met with a measured cheer and sporadic triangle signs from their more committed fans. They began their set with a technically sound rendition of ‘Fitzpleasure’, clearly enjoying their return to Cambridge. The band conveyed a convincing sense of ensemble, and the percussion of Thom Green created a driving sense of rhythm which continued throughout the night. Alt-J’s strength when performing live was shown best in the contrast between subdued, reflective harmonies and cacophonic, driving peaks. ‘Dissolve Me’ exemplified Alt-J’s ability to cleverly intersperse climaxes with slower paced beats.

Their limited repertoire of songs meant that the set list had an air of inevitability about it. Although most of the songs were popular with the crowd, the attraction of live music lies partly in novelty, with the night generally feeling fairly predictable. This is partly explained by their lack of maturity as a band, but a creative reinterpretation of some of the songs would have livened up the evening. The audience looked most animated when Alt-J gave a shout out to Hills Road Sixth Form, a reference to their time in Mill Road pubs in their twenties.

The gig wrapped up with their current big hit ‘Taro’ along with an unexpected tune. The lights came up, and the familiar sound of ‘TNGHT’ blared out the subwoofers. Everyone under the age of twenty-five then ran to the middle of the dance floor to finish off the night with a good sweaty skank, a moment of spontaneity in a night otherwise often found rather lacking in character.