It's the annual Christmas office party for the terminally heartbroken. Festive frolics from Messrs Cracknell, Wiggs and Stanley. But first up are French retro-popsters Tahiti 80 who treat us to a gentle set of jangly cool from their debut album 'Puzzle'. Which sets things up nicely for the main event.
To many people, Saint Etienne are an anachronism but it's clear that the band themselves are happy to throw out the hits while slowly evolving their style into a more studied cool than their disco frolics of yore.
Tonight's set balances songs from last album 'Sound Of Water' with highlights from the back catalogue. While the newer material like 'Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi)', which Cracknell self-deprecatingly refers to as a 'nearly hit', and 'How We Used To Live' lacks the pop gloss of the past, the songs do have more depth.
They even roll out a new tune that doesn't have a title and doesn't seem to have finished lyrics. It's a funkier workout and shows they are definitely stripping themselves of the easy hook.
But it's the old chestnuts everyone wants at Christmas and the crowd get their gifts - 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart', 'Nothing Can Stop Us Now', 'People Get Real' and a beautiful 'Hobart Paving' complete with haunting trumpet.
It all ends in hi-NRG mode with 'He's On The Phone', as most of the crowd finally seem to remember they're here to have a good time and not just stare rapt at Sarah. As the song comes to an end she coos "I really am going this time" and disappears for the final time, as several hundred hearts break. She came, she sung, she left the party early - sheer class.
IMAGES: OLLY HEWITT
