The Hold Steady claimed that they'd never played a larger headlining show than last night's at the 2,000-capacity Empire but they'll be saying that every night if the buzz surrounding them continues to grow at the present rate.

Here they played mostly to a crowd of the curious, doubtless drawn in by the rumours that the Brooklyn-based quintet of Minnesotans were the standout band of Glastonbury and that their third album, Boys and Girls in America, is more than likely the greatest of the past 12 months.

If the euphoric pandemonium of Glastonbury was missing, it was not for want of trying from this restlessly entertaining group. Singer Craig Finn was a jittery, nerdy frontman with his emotions nakedly on display, clutching at his chest as though wanting to hand his heart to every audience member in turn.

The other members looked unremarkable (aside from moustachioed keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who had probably just finished tying a silently screaming damsel to a railway line) but all shared Finn's belief in the show.

They rocked hard on muscular tracks such as Massive Nights and Same Kooks, yet even the rawest riffs were elevated by the singer's lyrical talent for turning teenage flings and druggy abandon into striking, wistful poetry. With talent like this, the gigs can only get bigger.