The Zutons, O2 Institute, Birmingham - review with pictures

Fifteen years after releasing their debut album and 11 years on from their last recording, the Zutons kicked off their Who Killed The Zutons tour at the O2 Institute on Tuesday.

And they did so in style.

Dave McCabe leading the way with his powerful but delightful Liverpudlian voice, Abi performing her unique saxophone dance routine, Boyan rocking riff after riff. One early missed McCabe cue aside, it could easily have been 2004 again.

After strong support from Queen Zee and Coral-esque The Fernweh, the unmistakeable guitar of Zuton Fever signalled the start of the main event.

McCabe said few words until the rendition of debut album Who Killed The Zutons was almost finished, but with the near-capacity crowd soaking up catchy Zuton hit after catchy Zuton hit there was little need for conversation.

Apart from a warm-up show in Chester and one-off tribute gig to friend Kris Ealey in 2016, the group hadn't performed together for nine years. Yet they gelled like they'd never been apart, relishing the opportunity to tour together again, and seemed genuinely grateful for the ovation they received at the end.

The combination of fast-paced rock and gentle singalongs was as effective as ever. Manic hits like Pressure Point and Don’t Ever Think ramped up the atmosphere, while You Will You Won’t and Confusion coaxed the voices out of the eclectic crowd.

But perhaps the best moments came after Who Killed…., which finished with a gorgeous communal rendition of Moons and Horror Shows at the front of the stage.

When McCabe belted out "Cause it's aalllllriiiiigghhhhht” at the start of Hello Conscience - the first of two songs from second album Tired of Hanging Around - it felt like the band were really starting to let rip.

Valerie - the hit that sometimes unfairly overshadows the band's array of indie classics - inevitably sent the crowd wild but it was the encores of Confusion and You Will Won’t where the Scouse sextet thrived, twice showing off the diversity that makes them so fun to watch within the space of a song: infectious singalongs, lung-busting sax and wild rock and roll.

Sold-out dates in Glasgow, Manchester and London follow this week before shows in Bristol, Nottingham and Leeds next week. The tour finishes with two finale hometown performances which, if you're going, you can expect to be brilliantly raucous.