The Jesus and Mary Chain @ Manchester Academy, 25 Mar

When the aliens inevitably arrive, some things will take more explaining than others. Aside from Brexit, unfrosted Pop Tarts, gender roles and the seemingly infinite longevity of The Stone Roses, it’s fair to say you’d have a hard time decoding exactly why we continue to care about reunion shows. If a band managed to catch the imagination through youthful disregard and sonic autonomy some 30 years ago, how can they possibly attract bigger crowds now than then – older, wiser, and suffering from tinnitus? Tell the aliens about The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Manchester date of their Damage and Joy tour and they might just sympathise.

Resisting temptation to mercilessly flog their first LP in 19 years, The Mary Chain execute a finely poised and well-rounded crash course in their discography. 'The way you are sends the shivers to my head,' croons ever-cool frontman Jim Reid, an hour into tonght's display of alt rock immaculateness, as the band rattle through an encore with a similar duration to that of a full show in their formative years. Tonight not only proves that The Jesus and Mary Chain are a band that are easier pitched when viewed in retrospect, but also that they deserve that lens.

While nobody leaves the venue bloodied, shocked or gruesomely fascinated as they may have done in 1989, it’s hard to imagine they left disappointed. The sonic assault of Reverence still burns and April Skies still sounds like the greatest fuzz pop song in the world. In short, The Jesus and Mary Chain might not be sparking up the kind of madness that their earlier years were built upon but, objectively, they’re playing their best and most complete live shows to date – seeing them live in 2017 is about as enjoyable as it feasibly could be.