It�s a strange one, this � Trent et al are in town, yet there is no album to promote (what with Year Zero being a month away). Although, hopefully, this means they won�t be playing The Collector again�

Inside, they seem to be letting the smoke machine off for no apparent reason at random intervals. On the subject of totally random things, first up it�s the latest in a long line of eclectic NIN support acts, Ladytron.

It�s a bad start when everyone � barring the girl dancing away to everything they do on my right (why are these people always on my right?!?) � only know them for Seventeen, but they don�t help themselves, even with the beefed up live band. Not that it was a repeat of the horrors of Atari Teenage Riot: they weren�t bad, they just weren�t particularly interesting. When the highlight of one song is the light show and the aforementioned Seventeen is casually tossed away midway through their set, it�s no surprise they were facing the Terracotta Army.

Again, as the roadies were setting everything up, the smoke machine started spewing a vast amount of smoke out and�holy shit, Trent Reznor just appeared out of nowhere, and they start playing Somewhat Damaged � house lights still up, roadies still clearing out. That�s an interesting way to make an entrance � even if the smoke left the band in silhouette for the first three songs, and seems to have set off the smoke alarm in the gents for the first four or five.

With no album to promote, they liberally pick and choose their way through their back catalogue: Last follows, followed by an energetic March of the Pigs (Aaron North dives into the crowd midway through, still playing), and as usual this segues into the communal sing-along of Piggy, with Trent grabbing a stage light and getting into the front row�before chuck the light across the stage and breaking it.

Less usual was the fact Closer was aired very early in the set (sandwiched between Wish and Gave Up), and a lot of material they haven�t played in their last couple of tours featured on the setlist: Heresy, Ruiner, Eraser and Burn all featuring (along with the surprise tracks from last time, Suck and The Great Come Down). Also, it�s worth noting that North and Jeordie White are sharing a lot more of the vocal duties than they usually do � and there�s a reason for this. A couple of nights before, they had to cancel a gig because Trent lost his voice, although he does take the time to inform us that tonight it does (impersonate Barry White) �sound very fucking good.�

Along with this, the band are having a lot more fun than you�d expect up there: Trent finding new things to throw around stage at regular intervals (although usually it�s the mic stand or his guitar), North running around and jumping off anything he can find like a hyperactive chipmunk, and the band play around with the lamps hanging on the stage � sometimes for lighting effects, sometimes because it�s just too tempting.

They also air the reason they�ll soon be on the road in Survivalism, which a section of the crowd have already memorised courtesy of The Spiral. Unfortunately, this is also a cue for a bloke up the front to wave around a flag reading �Year Zero for Blair.� Please, you�ll find that Further Down the Spiral is far more accurate�

They continue with material they didn�t play on the last world tour, such as Only and The Day the World Went Away, as well as the ever-intimate goosebump moment when Trent and 3500 people sing Hurt�only for it to be ruined by the bloke next to me deciding this was the perfect time to call his mate on his mobile. You�re a cunt.

Things were rounded off with a double whammy of The Hand That Feeds and Head Like A Hole, and the part depart at the end of a rather truncated performance, with no encore.

It�s worth noting the gig was geared more heavily to The Downward Spiral and Broken, but just the one from Pretty Hate Machine? It also indicates a lot of With Teeth material may be left by the wayside.

Given the circumstances, naturally it wasn�t going to be their best gig, but watching them take a break from the norm was refreshing, and those same circumstances probably inspired them to try something different. Now, if only I could see The Artist Formerly Known As Twiggy Ramirez play Starfuckers Inc., just once�