The 02 Academy is fast becoming the best gig venue in Leeds. Tonight the cool and modern arena played host to the talented yet underrated Editors…

Everywhere you look at the minute there seems to be yet another example of our cultural excavation of the Eighties – shoulder pads, Transformers, leg-warmers and even white cars have all made recent comebacks. With strike threats and recession blues currently dominating the news it seems the escapist themes that characterised music and fashion in the Eighties are well and truly back in vogue. Lucky then, that Eighties music wasn’t all about bad clothes and soulless, synth-laden pop songs. Bands like Joy Division helped make the Eighties bearable; and following in their post-punk footsteps are Editors, doing their bit to make the current Eighties obsession tolerable by drawing on the decades best musical aspects for inspiration.

While they may not like the persistent Joy Division comparisons, Editors don’t do themselves any favours. The first song tonight, ‘In This Light And On This Evening’, is dominated by a throbbing, Joy Division-esque soundscape while Tom Smith’s vocals owe much to Ian Curtis’ trademark intense mumbling. ‘Bricks And Mortar’, with its Blade Runner synths and electro-drums also has the whiff of a Joy Division album track to it, before it morphs unexpectedly into something a bit more anthemic and modern.

Although they are undoubtedly influenced by Joy Division, Editors are definitely no copyists. Their talent lies in building euphoric anthems out of the introspective themes of isolation and despair that were first dwelt on by Joy Division and their peers over 20 years ago. Songs like ‘Blood’ and ‘An End Has A Start’ burst from the stage, bristling with nervous energy and provoking mass sing-alongs. It’s amazing just how many ‘beer-in-the-air’ moments Editors have in their back catalogue: ‘Munich’, ‘The Racing Rats’, ‘Bullets’, ‘Fingers In The Factory’ and even ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’ all incite hands-aloft moshing.

As well as having the kind of back-catalogue to embarrass much older and more established bands, their new songs hint at a growing maturity. If their older songs were all about the nervous tension and jagged guitars, their newer efforts seem more measured and deliberate. ‘You Don’t Know Love’ and ‘Like Treasure’ are both future fan-favourites, both rousing anthems that left most of the crowd wishing they could sing along with the actual words. Tom Smith is also turning into a more than competent front-man, most noticeable as he predatorily stalked the stage during ‘Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool’.

The highlight of the night came in the encore with ‘Papillon’. More New Order than Joy Division, it turned the O2 Academy into the best nightclub in town with its bouncy synths and infectious rhythm. It’s one of the best songs this decade to merge rock and dance and, along with their back-catalogue and impressive new material, suggests Editors will be a massive hit on the festival circuit next year.

(The Editors Live at The O2 Academy, Leeds Saturday 17th October 2009)