NME Tour at the Octagon, Sheffield, 11th February

Tonight the NME is so desperate to choke up the latest hip indie troupe that they've almost forgotten music's existence. Instead this year we are treated with a host of ridiculous band names, which if anything is bound to give the audience nausea before they've even entered the room.

The Ting Tings are as musically complex as their name would suggest. A boy/girl duo they spend their time repeating chants along with cheerleader pop beats. Their 'inyourface' attitude makes them impossible to ignore but for all the wrong reasons. As lead singer Katie struts around the stage with her bleached hair reminiscent of Peaches Geldof she proves herself to be more annoying than if the 'it' girl had found her way onto a musical platform and dragged her father with her.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? However instantly manage to set the room alight. Every bone in your body wants to loathe this band with their Hadouken induced clothing and incessant strobe lighting, but their bounding rhythms are catching within seconds. With Daft Punk inspired tunes they still keep the heavy rock aesthetic to hold the traditional indie lover. From 80s rave to LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture, the group keep you enthralled at the action onstage.

Joe Lean and the Jing, Jang, Jong however fail to ever excite. As their intro builds to a mighty crescendo the presence of 'Joe Lean' is one of the most disappointing moments of the set, as he bounds around the stage lapping up the slightly favourable applause. He appears in a world where the audience merely exist as a minority factor while he yelps out uninspiring lyrics. During one track as the repetitive lyrics reach a disappointing finish, the crowd respond with a murmur and a ripple of applause. Out of the entire line up they are the only band who appear out of their depth on such a large stage.

After all this The Cribs are bizarrely seen as the professionals on tour. After gigging for eight years they've failed to develop creatively but gained a core fanbase which only works in their favour. By now their performance is predictable, but the crowd with each gig brings something new. From the man held high on his friend's shoulders during 'Mirror Kisses' to the crowd's collective sing-a-long on 'Another Number' these aren't just drunken loons. This audience have come to accept the band for better or worse and if only more people did the same, it wouldn't just be the fans having the time of their lives.