Last week the roof of famous London music venue ‘The Water Rats’ collapsed and, tonight, Canadian rock band ‘Your Favorite Enemies’ are doing their best to bring it down again. After six years, the group are making their long-awaited return to one of their favourite cities.

This is the first of two London shows in anticipation of the UK release of their new album ‘Between Illness’ and ‘Migration’. The journey to the completion of this second full album has been a long and arduous and the band look so relieved to be on the road again. Indeed, lead singer Alex Foster shares some banter with the crowd, reassuring them that it is now safe to stand near the stage.

The set opens with the true driving rock anthem,  ‘A View from Within’ – a great way to kick things off. There are elements of Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam here but all wrapped up in that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ of Montreal music. The rest of the set is a mix of old and new; it is a short set but one packed full of punch. This is rock at its loudest and most direct with snarling vocals, pounding drums, stomping bass and crunching guitar riffs. But not only is it feisty and immediate musically, lyrically there is great depth here too. The band are very conscious of who they are and what they stand for and this comes through in their songs.

By the end of the set the venue staff are looking nervously up at the ceiling as the room shakes from the sheer power of the performance. They breathe a sigh of relief as the band finish with the storming ‘From the City to the Ocean’. Ears ringing, the small crowd are left wanting more. Your Favorite Enemies have been described by some as “rock’s best kept secret”, but with a few more shows like tonight this will not be the case for long.