Erasure @ Albert Hall, Manchester, 28 May

There are enthusiastic audiences and there are Erasure audiences. Largely ‘mature’ – youthful faces are few and far between – it is on its feet before Vince Clarke and Andy Bell even step onstage and out-sings both vocals and music on many occasions during a 27-song extravaganza in a sauna-like Albert Hall. “Are you too hot?” asks Andy Bell prior to puffing into his mic. “This is a blow job.” Erasure doesn’t do modesty.

The 30-year industry veterans are in the middle of a three-date UK tour prior to a series of stadium openings for Robbie Williams, but this is no warm-up. Their collective vitality has not diminished one iota. Unlike many of his peers, Bell, front-man par excellence, has lost none of his physique, looking indeed as if he’s come straight from the gym. More importantly, his voice neither, except for the higher notes on habitual closer A Little Respect. In contrast, the suited and booted Vince Clarke lurks at the rear of the stage, barely moving, with the demeanour of a junior store manager. To his right their perennial twin-sister backing singers, looking like pole-vaulters from the nearby city athletics event, add subtle vocal tones.

The set contains the crowd’s favourites from a 17-studio album career, rattled off with little small talk between them. Oh L’Amour, Blue Savannah, Ship of Fools and Sometimes prompt an almost hysterical audience reaction while Stop’s reception goes off the Richter scale. The performance is matched by the visuals, and for once the Albert Hall’s own classy lights, which have the night off, seem second-class in comparison. Lit up at times like a Christmas tree or Bonfire Night sparklers, on one occasion the stage looks like the landing strip for the alien mother ship in Close Encounters.

But for all the razzamatazz, Erasure are also promoting here their most recent album, World Be Gone, a more restrained, thoughtful affair that addresses contemporary world events in an adult manner, distancing itself from the more frenetic outpourings of some other artists. Nine tracks from it are played and largely the audience seems unsure. Attention is lost, groups of people head for the bar, and applause is restrained. To an uncommitted observer however, the new material ranks among their best. It is slower, more soulful, more in the mould of Take That, and the visual presentations of Oh What a World and Still it’s Not Over particularly are the most eye-pleasing of the evening.

Andy Bell introduces the encore, A Little Respect, with the question, “You know what’s coming next, don’t you?” He could have asked the same right at the start. A colourful, fun evening, and with total audience participation, that’s what. In some ways it was a strange evening, too. No "hello Manchester," or parting speeches thanking the audience; no mention of recent atrocities. In a way that was probably the right decision. Erasure is one of the few bands that can consistently remove its audience from the ugly reality of day-to-day-life and transport them to a different place entirely for a couple of hours. Long may that continue.