He operates with assorted drum-beat filled grooves. Spinning them forwards, backwards repeating them, fading the bass drum in and out and projecting muffled booms in the acoustically-poor auditorium.

Kurtis Blow enters and begins his seat Initially compelling, he becomes tedious with alarming rapidity. With just the drum tracks for accompaniment he seems to struggle. He affects various postures and gesticulations but can achieve no more than a sweaty brand of 'showmanship' that is actually closer to worksmanship. Half an hour of toil to keep up the HP payments on the gold chains and the Cadillac.

And audience participation… “Say ho-oo!”

Silence.

I’d been waiting several long months to see Palais Schaumburg put their theories into action. Readers only acquainted with the first lp and/or the ‘Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt’ single could almost be forgiven if they expected a grim-faced display of live experimentia executed with a 'Teutonic efficiency' (racial stereotype copyright John Motson).

The reality was stunning. Palais Schaumburg translate their well-ordered structures and acute processes into an absolute physical exuberance, turning something that is 'interesting' but not necessarily 'entertaining' on record into compulsive viewing.

Knowing the group to be polite, well-mannered individuals off stage, it came as a severe shock to observe them emerging onto the Amsterdam spotlights and proceeding to rave like beings possessed, rampaging through their set with a devil-may-care dementia yet managing to keep a tight grip on the material’s intricacies.

On the left, Timo angles and points his bass in a multitude of directions. He swivels and sways from his hip while his considerable fringe flaps in his eyes. The notes that he plucks out are at deliberate but seemingly odd intervals; the result is a bottom heavy slice through the rhythms and melodies.

Centrally positioned is new vocalist Walter, switching from casual phrasing to aggressive chants and occasionally assaulting a drum.

On the right, Thomas is either hopping like an excited rabbit behind his keyboards or else blasting out with trumpet or sax and taking gigantic, super-human bounces over the stage to join Timo for some backing singing.

Maybe I wouldn’t be so surprised by the power and energy if I’d paid more heed to the video of ‘Wir Bauen’, a percussive feast of sound and vision that made me think of the Dave Clark Five!

Palais Schaumburg are rootless (but not heartless!) vultures circling over the carcass of Western pop culture. They devour bits and pieces and regurgitate them into thrilling new mosaics. Their heritage is closer to certain European art movements than good ole rock and roll but their vision is dished up with the brazen confidence of youth. The thinking never blocks the feeling.