Serj Tankian @ ABC, 1 Sep

"Who likes the Beatles?", asks an upbeat Serj Tankian halfway through tonight's set. The sweaty masses packed into the ABC roar with approval as Tankian and his band, the Flying Cunts of Chaos, launch into an incendiary version of the fab four's Girl. Immediately after this he poses "What about ABBA?" before mixing Money by the Swedes with its namesake from Tankian's debut Elect the Dead, to delighted and bemused responses. Such indulgences clearly please those on stage, as they deliver an hour and a half of fierce and bewildering art-metal to an adoring crowd. With his white top hat and tails set against the uniform black of his band mates, Tankian tears through the entire album and more with energy and precision. Between songs he spouts polemical, prowling the stage like some deranged ringmaster; laughing, smiling and engaging with the front row. And after closing with Empty Walls the estranged SOAD front man leaves the stage to searing applause, his reputation as one of the class acts in rock undeniable. [Alex Hargraves]