Arcade Fire @ Hyde Park, London

Fresh from Grammy success and basking in the praise heaped on The Suburbs, their latest, slow burning album, Arcade Fire take triumphantly to the stage at Hyde Park following support from a very well behaved and tanned looking Mumford & Sons among others.

Kicking off their biggest UK headline gig to date with 'Ready to Start', main man Win Butler leads his charges straight into the high energy, stomping stage show that has become their calling card.

Next up they throw a curve ball and play indie disco sing-a-long staple 'Wake Up', with Butler declaring he couldn’t wait till the end of the set to play it. 60,000 drunk and slightly sun dazed fans clasp hands and lean in close as THAT intro kicks in - and all is right with the world.

The set tonight is composed almost entirely of Funeral and The Suburbs, with only a couple of tracks from second LP Neon Bible making the cut.

It’s clear that Win and co have the most fun when playing their new material to such a receptive audience. Tracks such as 'Rebellion (Lies)' and 'Power Out' used to be all conquering but the balance has clearly shifted with new standouts being 'The Suburbs' and 'Rococo, the latter transcending it’s almost modest presence on record, reaching anthem status in the live setting.

The band is tight, everything is in its right place, and yet tonights gig is something of a disappointment. Marred by poor sound throughout, it’s frustrating that a group such as Arcade Fire, known for their huge choruses, deft instrumental touches and wall of sound approach to performing, seem to be soooo quiet when playing out in the field.

The patchy layout of speakers around the arena means that huge pockets of the crowd have to content themselves with nothing but drums, a low rumbling bass and the hint of a vocal... not ideal when you’ve come to hear the intricacies you so love on record.

It's not the band’s fault I’m sure, but it does put a dampener on what could and should have been a huge pat on the back for a band finally finding their place in the world.