Some suspect that the much-trumpeted "New Rave" scene - loosely based around a handful of rock acts who embody elements of dance music - is the invention of bored music journalists, eager to create original-sounding headlines.

Last night, as the NME's Rave Tour drew to a riotous conclusion, those suspicions were spectacularly exposed as being utterly false.

Arty Brazilian act Cansei de Ser Sexy, better known as CSS, delighted the New Ravers from the start with a hugely creative set.

Their tribal rhythms, hypnotic synth sounds and wild dancing created an almost pagan atmosphere, brought to a head by their diminutive 22-year-old frontwoman Lovefoxxx shaking the mic stand above her head in a frenzy, as her band did the same with their instruments.

The majority of the crowd, who signalled their approval with much jumping and fist-waving, were teenagers, many sporting glosticks round necks and wrists. Some young wags - the kind of people who might have worn revolving bow ties 20 years ago - had even fashioned their glo-sticks into comical glasses.

They started throwing those glosticks onstage as soon as they heard of the imminent arrival of New Rave kings, the Klaxons.

The Londoners opened with their unique and hilarious cover version of novelty song The Bouncer, screaming the lyrics out as they injected it with an oddball, punk flavour that had the crowd raving harder than ever.

Their harmonies were a little off, but this seemed in keeping with the band's anarchic spirit. Boasting a repertoire that ranged from the commercially viable to the almost unbearable, the highlight of their set was Gravity's Rainbow, the supernatural lyrics blending well with the dreamy synths and pleasantly scrappy guitar work.

I remain unconvinced as to whether pop history will judge The Klaxons as one of the greats, and there were points at which their rather infantile choruses began to grate.

Nonetheless, they fizzed with a raw, un-cynical energy. No one present at the Palais last night could have denied that they were witnessing a genuine musical and cultural phenomenon. Love it or hate it, New Rave is real.