The Gaslight Anthem @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

Regular readers already know we’re a cynical bunch. If you told us that a kitten rescued an old woman from a burning building, we’d probably assume the kitten staged the entire thing to generate some positive press and win over the local tomcats. It’s just what we’re like.

With that in mind, you can forgive us for raising an eyebrow when, en route to their show, we spied The Gaslight Anthem sporting their brand new Levis 519s and staring down at us from a massive billboard. This billboard confused us on multiple fronts - not least because it seemed odd for a fairly middling group to be advertising such an iconic American brand.

But perhaps we’re wrong? Given their popularity in the US, surely such endorsements are to be expected? They’ve established themselves as a quintessentially American band - Jersey boys come good – and have done everything possible to fill a small portion of the sizeable void left by New Jersey’s other denim lover, Bruce Springsteen.

That very comparison has dogged them since the beginning of their career, but to see their live show is to realise the reasons why. It extends beyond the familiar working-class themes of ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts’ and ‘59 Sound’ (which caused a packed-out Hammersmith Apollo to erupt) - to the upbeat chord progressions, anthemic choruses and drawling, ever-positive banter that precedes each song.

We may have underestimated this lot – or, at the very least, their popularity within the UK. The crowd’s reaction to this performance shows that the lyrical sentiments are not lost on British audiences… except us. But like we said, we’re a cynical bunch.