Phoenix know what they like and while following in Prince's diminutive footsteps is not only unwise but uncredible, Thomas Mars isn't going to let anything stop him. Singer, chief show-off and heart and soul of Phoenix, Mars is yelping and falsettoing all over the place, standing on the drum riser with one hand gripping his microphone, the other thrown skyward, flying in the face of fashion.
But then his easy vocals, by turns full of Californian sunshine and as soulful as Stevie Wonder, already surprise, because Mars, along with the rest of Phoenix, is French. And while the French are now known for their laidback dance wizardry alongside their fine wines, it's rare to find a bunch of musicians who can evoke the Minneapolis genius at his finest one second and the Eagles the next. But whatever the genre, you can be sure it dates from the decade that taste forgot - the 1980s.
United, the band's debut album, is made up of ultra-cool homages to bands you would never admit to loving; it should be an ironic joke, a nod back to the last century with a grin on its face. That the Van Halen riffs and Chicago melodies at this concert add up to such exciting yet heartwarming songs that are always achingly hip is proof of Phoenix's power.
Tearing into School's Rules, Phoenix's guitars rock, while the bass is so heavy it hurts. But they don't look like metalheads. With their grown-out pudding bowl haircuts, shirts and ties, they look like a bunch of sixth-formers, storming the stage straight from the school gates.
Mars, with the gait of a young Mick Jagger and the twitchiness of an Iggy Pop, is unable to contain himself, and shakes his head madly. His singing is sublime; whether raging on the Supergrass-like Party Time or tender on Honeymoon, it's the glue that holds the band's diverse styles together.
And then there's the funk. Tonight there's a keyboard player whose voice recalls early rap. Mars commands us to clap as If I Ever Feel Better begins; with its Owner of a Lonely Heart bassline, the party atmosphere grows. But while their own material shines, a cover of Prince's Forever in My Life allows Phoenix to rise above their contemporaries.
As Mars sings a cappella, in a straight rendition of a classic, sung with awe, we all sing along, blissfully engaged in a moment of mutual affection.