Few bands are regarded as fondly as the New Yorkers, We Are Scientists. From the moment they arrived on these shores in 2006, then the support band for the now massive Editors, they have been adored by everyone who’s seen them. This stems chiefly from the fact that the band refuse to take themselves or anything else too seriously. Throughout tonight’s 105-minute set at a sold-out O2 Academy, singer Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain will riff with the crowd, tell wildly imaginative stories and just be superbly entertaining.

It’s a travesty that the band haven’t sold a lot more albums and that they are still playing places the size of this. They are among the best creators of smart, witty indie pop, with their cheesewire guitar riffs and insanely hummable choruses, mixing the best bits from the Talking Heads, Gang of Four, The Smiths and Pixies. Having just released a new album, Barbara, their third, they’re clearly still very much on form. They play around half of it tonight, including awe-inspiring renditions of new singles Nice Guys and Rules Don’t Stop, both of which are more angular and aggressive than their older material. They don’t skimp on stuff from their back catalogue, though, dropping Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt, The Great Escape and Cashcow, and sending the packed Academy crazy.

The set skips by, going all too quickly as the band members are so effortlessly tight in their musicianship and, because their gigs are just so much fun. They end with a stunning After Hours, which sees support bands Chew Lips and the Whigs invade the stage for an almighty sing-a-long and has the crowd applauding for its life. They return for a quick encore and then are gone, leaving the Academy sated, but definitely wanting more. Gigs like this prove that there’s not a band in the world that is more entertaining and enjoyable to watch than We Are Scientists.