There are some bands that simply demand to be seen live, with albums not able to truly contain the scale and scope of their sound. The Reytons are very much one of them.
Bottling their big, bold indie rock on record is a difficult task. Playing it in front of an adoring audience in a Saturday night headline slot is another matter entirely.
The effect is pretty special and immediately endearing. Comparisons to early Arctic Monkeys are inevitable, but it is a heavy influence The Reytons wear on their sleeve as a badge of honour.
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It is there in the chugging guitar phrasing of tunes like Low Life and On the Back Burner, and baked into the vocal expression and lyrics of frontman Jonny Yerrell.
Yet it is both authentic and knowing. The Reytons are not from New York City, they are literally from Rotherham. As Yerrell sings: "Everybody round here's got a cousin or a mate who's best friends with Alex Turner."
And the debt to Sheffield's finest is less pronounced on other, more recent songs. Cash In Hand & Fake IDs skirts around similar territory but is delivered with a driving insistence that makes it truly stand out.
Uninvited, which came late on, is harder and darker - packing a brutal punch as well as summing up The Reytons' breakthrough story with a message to the music industry: "We dropped a ball in a stocking and swung it round the f***ing room until we battered the problem. And now we’re on the inside.”
They are absolutely right, too. Earlier this year their second full-length release What’s Rock And Roll? hit number one in the UK charts, knocking Taylor Swift off top spot in the process.
For any group to do that is impressive. For an unsigned act to achieve it is remarkable. As the band said themselves when the feat was confirmed: “No Label. No Backing. All Reytons”.
Yerrell returned to that theme several times during a blistering 45-minute performance in Liverpool, with more of a statement than a question: "All Reytons aren't we?"
By the end of the gig, it was impossible to disagree with him.
Friday night highlights at Sound City
New Music Friday was Sound City at its very best, showcasing not only dozens of emerging artists but the buzz of central Liverpool itself.
Hopping from bar to basement to backroom in town is part of what has made this festival so good down the years.
Granted, it's a tricky balancing act between that nimble approach and finding room for ticket-selling headliners.
But at least one evening where the thrill of discovery is spread across lots of smaller spaces should always be part of the Sound City blueprint.
There were several highlights on Friday, demonstrating the depth and breadth of the opening night bookings.
Declan Welsh said he was delighted to bring his Glasgow group The Decadent West to the "people's republic of Liverpool". The feeling quickly became mutual as his hard-rocking thrills infused with Scottish punk poetry and genuine star quality won over plenty of new fans in The Shipping Forecast.
Hourglvss brought a beguiling blend of Sugababes harmonies and soaring synths to Kazimier Stockroom, carrying the crowd along with their woozy, unique style and very northern soul.
Laurence-Anne may have been first on the bill downstairs at The Jacaranda but the Canadian singer and her two bandmates soon filled the floor, sweeping everyone away with dreamy pop and infectious grooves in a short but memorable set.
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