The news that their visit to Brighton had sold out weeks in advance could hardly have come as a surprise to The Automatic.

Their debut album, Not Accepted Anywhere, charted at number three, accompanied by a top ten single in the shape of festival anthem Monster.

But Wales's finest new exports were in no mood for complacency as they smashed through this gig with a verve that was thrilling, if clinically repetitive.

It was a classic display of a band on the cusp of grander arenas, fusing potential and performance as the rafters swelled with fawning teenagers.

Their venom was electrifying as dirty electronica bleeped and gurgled behind menacing beats and rasping lyrics.

Consistent melodic cunning allowed them to avoid slipping into emo drudgery, with the guttural snarl of Rob Hawkins's vocals adding a demonic darkness to their repertoire.

It was this originality which made them seem so exciting, giving the refreshing sense that they neither wantonly pillage from tired old influences nor seem liable to have their formula repeated by scores more pretenders on any given night.

That said, lyrics about beasts circumnavigating hills hardly cast much poetic insight, and they rarely showed the sort of dexterity required to engage a more mature audience.

The general enthralment with which they were received, though, made their cacophonous carnage enviable. Bright young things swung from the ceiling and thundered around the stage as their idols rolled from one spiky disco chorus to the next, culminating in a rabidly competitive race to the front to witness the awesome power of Monster.

Climaxing with an open invitation to join the band for a post-show swim also solicited a worryingly large-scale rush for the sea from fans. You suspect their enthusiasm would have been as great had they been asked to dive into a shark-infested tank in exchange for another rendition of Monster.

Begrudging The Automatic their brutal surge to prominence would be as futile as shooting plastic pellets at a truck. They're certain to be a monstrous success.