It was a homecoming for Amber Run last night at Nottingham’s Rock City, the three piece (Joe Keogh, Tom Sperring and Henry Wyeth) had been away for a while writing and recording their latest record Philophobia which came out just over a week ago.

They’re pros now, Philophobia is their third album and it’s as dark and moody as you would expect; full of powerful ballads and rock headbangers it’s stunning.

That in mind they’ve got quite a collection of tracks to choose from when it comes to picking the set-list. They crammed an impressive 20 tracks into the hour and half set, mixing between albums.

Leader Countdown opened into Neon Circus just as it does on Philophobia, it’s a great opening and gets the head bopping going from the very start. Joe seemed so at ease on the stage and they looked so happy to be back.

Just My Soul Responding from their first record back in 2015 came next, the harmonies came not only from the band members but the audience too who seemed to love hearing one of their older numbers.

It was followed by Insominiac and Stranger, both tracks from For A Moment, I Was Lost released in 2017. Both songs mix emotional lyrics with heavy guitar and keyboard to create a electric performance.

Slowing it down slightly, from the same record came Fickle Game. Though it’s less rock and roll the lyrics still manage to haunt you, and it captivated everyone in the packed out venue. Keogh’s vocals are exposed on tracks like this but he doesn’t falter, instead he draws you in with his distinct voice.

They picked up the tempo again with Pilot from 5am, it’s a great song live – the melody and guitars make it a real rock track with a bit of grit. No One Gets Out Alive, another new track made it’s Rock City debut and it did not disappoint. The melody is so catchy and the guitarists (Tom Sperring and Michael Blackwell) really came alive giving it a bit of electricity.

Slowing it right down again after the high energy from the previous track came Dark Bloom, Keogh’s vocals seemed effortless through the pitch changes of the track. Affection followed, it almost seems like a more mature version of Dark Bloom and put side by side you can see how they’ve grown as band. The lyrics are haunting, yet it’s got an almost sweet melody.

The next track Amen, obviously meant a lot to them. Keogh dedicated it to their late friend and light technician Brian, who they last saw at Rock City a few months previous before he sadly passed away due to cancer. Keogh almost seemed to well up as he performed and explained that he’d sang it at his funeral. The ballad captivated the audience and it gave me goosebumps.

With the first few bars of 5am the audience knew what was coming and the cheering certainly made it feel like a crowd favourite. They were almost as loud as Keogh as they sang along, and the smiles from all three band members showed how much they loved being on the stage. They contrasted the slower number with the rock and roll number Carousel from their latest record, though it’s only been out for just over a week the crowd knew the lyrics word for word – it was one of the best tracks live.

What Could Be As Lonely As Love followed suit, the riff in this number really stands out. It’s one of my favourite tracks from their latest record and it looked like they really enjoyed performing it. The Darkness Has A Voice kept the tempo up, and while it may not have been the loudest the audience sang (which is forgivable for a new track), they were certainly moving to it.

They took it back to the song that got it all started for them with Noah, a crowd favourite there was some impressive singing on all parts. It was followed by Spark and Island before they left the stage to screams of more.

The encore started off slow with Haze and was soon followed by I Found, though they’re two of the slowest numbers on the set list they got the biggest reaction. Real crowd pleasers the audience sang word for word and Keogh looked like a Cheshire Cat soaking it all up.

They went out with a bang for final number No Answers. A real rock and roll track had everyone moving and the confetti cannons only added to the madness of the electric guitars and raspy vocals. They do both rock and roll and emotional ballad in equally good measure, and the encore alone showed that.

It’s a hard set to fault if you’re an Amber Run fan, there’s something for everyone; an old classic or a new soul touching number. They do a stunning job of keeping the energy in the room high, whether that be from the electric guitars to the powerful vocals. One of the things I love most about Amber Run is they keep things real, and they certainly did that – they looked like they had the best time in the world on stage.