The Chemical Brothers have made their bed and are definitely going to lie in it.  Long gone are the days when the coolest piece of vinyl to have in your collection would be the latest Junior Boys Own Dust Brothers twelve inch (remember 'My Mercury Mouth'?).  Recall the first time you heard one of their mammoth cascading drum crescendos: gradually getting louder and louder, and faster and faster, until it couldn't possibly get any larger.  Then: a sudden dropout or moment of silence, before BANG - The Choon Has Re-Entered The Building.

Well, times move on, yet the Chemicals haven't.  But is that such a bad thing?  In the early nineties they set the trend for Bigbeat, paving the way for Fatboy Slim's dominance of Saturday night Indie clubs across the country.  Move over 'Fool's Gold', 'cause here comes 'The Rockefeller Skank'...  What The Chemical Brothers once did was cutting edge and fresh, whereas now it is pure Retro.  Many music critics lambasted their forth album 'Come With Us' for offering nothing new, but wouldn't we rather they did what we expect of them than some lame attempt at jumping on an R'n'B or Garage bandwagon, for the sake of fashion?  The Chemical Brothers doing two-step would be the equivalent of your Dad trying to dance to Trance just to prove he's not stuck in the sixties.  No, I reckon we should let the Chems be the Chems, just as Oasis haven't changed or developed one iota since their nineties heydays (and just as The Strokes will stay exactly the same with every subsequent album - mark my words).

This evening's performance reinforces that standpoint.  No one makes people buy Chemical Brothers albums, so if they don't like it they can stay away.  And stay away is just what people don't do tonight - the Guildhall is packed and HOT.  Sweaty, scantily clad (hey) girls and lively (hey) boys dance and jump - all the way to the back - to these modest looking Superstar DJs as if their lives depended on it.  Sitting down is not an option.  Displays of public gyrating occur even way up in the stalls, right from the word go (or rather, right from the sampled phrase "Come-m-m-m-m With U-u-u-u-us" which commences the set).  The theme for tonight is certainly Retro.  The audience has an average age well into their mid-twenties, and I suspect lots of babysitters had to be employed across the city to enable many of the couples here to attend.  Much of the audience looks like it's made up of now employed ex-students, reliving their E-generation days in university clubs and bars.  In fact, I doubt if most of this lot would know a two-step beat if it came and stamped on their heads twice.  Not to worry though, as we're here for an "All Back To Mine" continuous mix of hits past and present, from the breakbeat infested 'Song To The Siren' to the recent summery 'Star Guitar', which mixes in from 'Out Of Control' via a modern update on New Order's 'Temptation'.

One thing that's true with The Chemicals: you know what to expect.  But sometimes it's good to know what you're going to get.  'Star Guitar' is possibly their finest single (and sounds least like their trademark sound), yet still brings back memories of the nineties.  'Come With Us' is a good album, but the songs really make senseand come to life in a live context.  It's probably the energy that the audience contributes to the gig - after all, Tom and Ed don't actually do a lot onstage.  One wonders if half of those shiny, flashing rack units are even plugged into the mixing desk or just for show - their various synths and modules are displayed at sharp angles, making the stage look like an exhibition of electronic musical instruments.  But the frantic light show and video screen add dynamics to the show, and the duo seem to be enjoying playing out their rock star fantasies.  And we like it.  At the end, Tom Rowlands twiddles his controls on an ageing synth, and it could be a guitarist sustaining feedback in front of an amp.  Rock 'n' Roll.

Guitar based bands can often sound "lost" in the Guildhall's large area, but on the strength of past gigs by Orbital, Underworld and The Prodigy this venue suits live electronic acts, and gets people universally up dancing.  Tonight The Chemical Brothers belong in venues like this.  And we still want them here.

Review: Andrew Morrison