The Sherlocks pop into Bristol pub to pour their own beer before sell-out Academy 02 gig

Before this sell-out gig at Bristol’s 02 Academy, The Sherlocks surprised some lucky fans by turning up at a local pub.

The South Yorkshire indie-rock band paid a visit to The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer on King Street to try their very own gluten-free Yorkshire-brewed pilsner beer, which was on tap at the pub, meeting shocked fans in the process.

The Sherlocks toured some of the country’s most intimate venues in the run-up to their third top ten album in the summer, but this gig marked the return of the four-piece to the big stages.

The opening night of a 12-date tour also saw the band’s first live appearance anywhere since their record People Like Me & You gave them their highest chart position so far in August.

Here was a chance to see a first reaction to a brand-new set list, including latest big hitter Sirens, a gritty, compelling rock number, whose instrumental melodies are worthy of a film score.

Frontman Kiaran Crook, his brother and drummer Brandon, lead guitarist Alex Procter and bassist Trent Jackson maybe at the start of this set of dates, but they didn’t waste a moment of their 80-minute performance.

There were no gimmicks, no distractions and, as Kiaran reminded fans, “no backing tracks either, everything is live and anything can happen.”

Epic new number Face The Music is a natural successor to second album title song Under Your Sky, while another, called Won’t Stop, is a super melodic symphony with a seriously good guitar solo.

The fired-up reaction to nostalgia-filled Remember All The Girls shows why it was chosen for track of the week on Radio One, a prized but rare acknowledgement from the music industry for this band.

But even with so many new tunes, there was still time for the ominously urgent Falling, dance-fuelled Sorry and favourite singles Live for The Moment, Will You Be There?, Magic Man and Was It Really Worth It?

They may sing about ‘Going Nowhere’, but four years after leaving their record label, here is a band who has only grown under their own steam and, with four albums in six years, are still one of the most exciting independent acts around.

Scroll through to see eight amazing photos of last night’s gig taken by photographer Rhona Murphy: