From the moment they stepped on the stage and launched into opening number Ready to Go, Panic! at the Disco signalled their intention to put on a high-energy show which was guaranteed to send the crowd home with hoarse voices and big smiles.

Now a duo, singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith were joined on stage by a guitarist and bass player in non-speaking roles who had been dressed up in braces and bow ties to match the band.

In the past, the Las Vegas rockers have packed out arenas but, despite appearing in front of a considerably smaller crowd at the UEA, frontman Urie didn't seem to notice and performed with the same enthusiasm as if he was playing to a crowd of 10,000.

As he threw himself around the stage with a seemingly endless store of energy, he belted out a series of note-perfect, fast-paced tunes whose range would have tested a lesser singer.

Rather than risk being completely spent three-quarters of the way into the set, Urie announced a change of pace several songs in to give himself time to cool down and catch his breath.

An acoustic rendition of Always – which sounded far better live than on new album Vices and Virtues – slowed the tempo and showed off the tender side of his stunning voice.

Covers of The Smith's Panic and Kansas's Carry On My Wayward Son complemented the new material as well as the odd tune from previous records.

But the covers didn't stop there. Giving Urie more time to get his pulse rate back to normal, the audience was treated to a few random bars of the Friends and Mario Brothers theme tunes, James Blunt's You're Beautiful (complete with an impression from Urie) and an instrumental burst of George Michael's Careless Whisper – perfect for an eccentric band with more than a hint of the 80s in their music.