Sometimes it's not popularity that counts but timing - and the Rapture have the best in the business. In 2003, they rode the wave of New York bands that crashed over UK music, with their single House of Jealous Lovers. Three years later, the band are releasing their second album, Pieces of the People We Love, just as they have been hailed as midwives of the new rave scene.
But tonight the atmosphere is closer to a chaperoned school disco than a chemically enhanced night at the Hacienda. Strolling on stage in casual T-shirts and jeans, the Brooklyn four-piece seem the most excited people in the room. "This is as good as it gets," says bassist Mattie Safer simply.
He may have spoken too soon. Launching into I Need You from their first album, Echoes, guitarist Luke Jenner's yelp sounds as if he has just caught his fingers in a door, while Gabriel Andruzzi's saxophone adds unfashionable shades of Madness to the writhing groove of Safer's bass. Clearly enjoying themselves, Andruzzi jerks robotically as he swaps brass for smudgy synth. Yet the song never goes into orbit. Neither does Out of the Race, perhaps proving that for all the critical acclaim, Echoes wasn't the most confident of debuts.
But Pieces of the People We Love is a great follow-up. Shaped by the hands of Danger Mouse, among others, it's darker and denser; the rock - lifeblood of the Raptures' sound - is forced to pump harder around the dance rhythms. "This is about not letting yourself get in the way of yourself," explains Jenner, introducing Get Myself Into It. Marking the first appearance of the band's trademark cowbell, it's got more booty than Beyoncé and ensures that the band are no longer partying alone.
It is Safer who sings many of the new songs, his easy vocals a balm after Jenner's pain. Still, the guitarist's turn on House of Jealous Lovers is a highlight. And finally, it's The Sound - euphoric and as bloody as a bare-knuckle fight - that lives up to Safer's fateful phrase.
· At the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, on October 8. Box office: 0115-958 8484. Then touring.
