Lurking in the shadows, silhouetted in front of a moody blue stage, Trent Reznor proudly presides over a sound he has refined over 25 years.

Opening with Me I’m Not, Nine Inch Nails gently lull the hundreds of metalheads at the Phones 4u arena into what quickly becomes a spectacular visual show.

Muscle-clad frontman Reznor – the thinking goth’s totty – has just turned 49.

"This is a true spectacle of a show - a sonic assault on the senses"

And despite NIN taking a four-year hiatus, it appears the industrial metal behemoths have lost none of that ire and angst that made them so popular in the first place.

NIN are all about atmosphere, and an enormous backdrop of intricate graphics and silhouetting goes a long way to creating a real sense of event tonight.

Slickly blending new synth-heavy songs such as Copy Of A, with a cherry picked set of classics, NIN blast through a jam packed show of their best material without pausing for breath.

Guitarists Alessandro Cortini and former Guns N’ Roses member Robin Finck are hugely impressive, while drummer Ilan Rubin assaults his skins with brilliant precision and pent up aggression.

The crowd - all dressed in black - pump their fists at each thundering riff and sway to the emotive, charged classic Closer, in which the band attack their decks like a demented Kraftwerk tribute act.

Despite a wealth of new material from latest album Hesitation Marks, NIN seem happy to play their most famous songs, including March of the Pigs, Wish, Head Like A Hole and The Hand That Feeds.

This is a true spectacle of a show - a sonic assault on the senses.

But there is also something slightly too ordered about the flawlessly polished set, and Reznor chucking a mic stand at a light does very little to add spontaneity.

But anything other than this big brash show would be a disappointment when NIN have such an enormous sound.

Ending the set with Hurt – a song immortalised by Johnny Cash – is a mellow but striking conclusion for a band who remain one of the most impressive forces in industrial rock.