Band of Skulls made their much anticipated return to our shores on Wednesday night; their first trip here since 2012’s support slot to The Black Keys in the 02. They have changed a bit since then, but they still retain the edgy, cut-throat rock ‘n’ roll that has drawn fans across the country to Dublin’s Academy to see them.

Support on the night came from DZ Deathrays, an energetic band that utilize a hugely talented drummer and guitar laced in various effects to deliver their music. The lack of a bassist is a big issue, as there is very little low end coming through the mix. The drumming is so loud and frantic that it drowns out much of the guitar, which is unfortunate, as it’s actually very interesting when audible. A second guitarist joined the fray mid-set, but still did nothing to address the glaring issue of having no bassist. An enjoyable band nonetheless, and ‘Gina Works at Hearts’ was a serious contender for song of the night.

Clad entirely in black, Band of Skulls took to the stage. The audience were in flying form all night, and would have danced along regardless of who was actually playing. Opening with ‘Light of the Morning’ (the first track of their first album), it was clear that the crowd would have plenty to dance to. Hard-hitting, energetic, and beguiling, it was a perfect opening track to depict what was in store for the next hour and a half.

‘Himalayan’ is one of those tracks that takes on another form entirely live, and as soon as it erupts into the first chorus, the show never loses intensity. The contrasting vocals of guitarist Russell Marsden and bassist Emma Richardson are incredible live, with both sharing the vocals on each track for the most of the night. While Marsden and Richardson pause to take a drink between songs, drummer Matt Hayward literally never stops. When there’s time to kills, he’s beating the hi-hat in anticipation for the next song.

The duo of ‘Sweet Sour’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ meld together into one big song that never slows. Both are anthemic in their own right, and are both songs that were made for a live setting. ‘Asleep at the Wheel‘ is another standout, featuring a signature Band of Skulls style chorus that threatens to deafen all in the vicinity with sheer ballsiness.

‘Death by Diamonds and Pearls’ and ‘The Devil Takes Care of His Own’ are another two tracks that fit together like jigsaw pieces. The amount of noise that these three musicians can create puts many four or five-piece bands to shame, and it wouldn’t be surprising by the time Band of Skulls get back to Ireland, they will be playing in larger venues.

Before kicking into set closer ‘Cold Fame’, Marsden asks the crowd to sing and dance to it. He needn’t have asked though, but the response was staggering as the floor became a sea of grooving bodies, obediently shouting lyrics up towards the stage.

The encore consisting of fan favourites ‘Hoochie Coochie’ and ‘Hollywood Bowl’, both, of which were met with yet another round of applause and screams.

There’s plenty of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll bands out there that try too hard to create their own sound. They could all do with taking a page from Band of Skulls’ book and going back to the basics of thundering bass, hard-hitting guitar riffs and steady drums. Band of Skulls still have only released three albums – by the time number four comes around, don’t expect to see them confined to the walls of The Academy again.