Blood Red Shoes @ Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 30 Jan

The Soup Kitchen stage is bathed in emerald green light, the colour already synonymous with Blood Red Shoes new album Get Tragic. When Laura-Mary Carter (vocals/guitar) and Steven Ansell (vocals/drums) take to the stage, the crowd is ready to welcome them; the cheer that goes up sets the tone for the night: attentive and appreciative. Manchester is ready.

Opening with Elijah, a sweltering all-out anthem, and continuing into the penetrating audible riot that is Bangsar, both taken from Get Tragic, Blood Red Shoes take the audience's verve and give it back tenfold. "Why have we waited so fucking long to come back here?" Ansell asks, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. The answer is probably that over the last four years, BRS have had more than their fair share of setbacks and challenges on the road to creating their fifth studio album and embarking on this tour. It's a testament to the duo that they have survived this long in an ever-changing industry; not only survived, but thrived and collated a hardcore set of fans who have thronged to sold-out venues across the country in support. One man, who Ansell ominously refers to as 'The Austrian Butcher' has attended five shows in a row this week and he cheers wildly when a song goes out specifically to him.

Over the course of 90 minutes there's a satisfying blend of classic tracks which the well-initiated of the audience sing every line of; I Wish I Was Someone Better, This Is Not For You and new singles – Mexican Dress and Howl – are all delivered with impeccable timing and energy. Carter is a warm and charismatic stage presence, with a depth of artistry that belays her blossoming confidence, while Ansell remains the ever-charming, riotous ring-leader, aiming his drumsticks at the heaving audience and demanding they sing louder.

With their enduring appeal and developing sound and style, tonight’s show is shaped entirely on looking to the future with a grateful salute to the past. Closing the main set with God Complex and bounding off the stage, exultant if not exhausted, Blood Red Shoes are a band who cannot be stopped and we are with them all the way.