Talk about advance warning - the first three songs of their set are called Bones, Bullets and Blood, so nobody can claim to be surprised when the rest of Editors' show is burdened by an atmosphere so bleak that the end of the gig comes as a merciful release. Indeed, the only surprise is that singer Tom Smith, whose expressionless vocals suggest someone well beyond caring, manages to recover after every song and chirp an effusive "Thanks so much!" His between-tune good cheer is nothing less than amazing: following a knotted-up new track called The Weight of the World, he is so frisky he suggests we "tear the roof off the place".

So what gives with these Editors? Are they genuine gloomsters - as their Joy Division-indebted sound would like to lay claim to - or just a Birmingham-based foursome who make their living playing doom-wracked guitar-rock? That is not to say they don't believe in what they are doing, but I'd bet they intend to be around for decades, and won't settle for anything less than arena status.

They are already in training for it, with a new album, An End Has a Start, that surpasses the grandeur of their debut, The Back Room. Their lighting effects, too, need to be seen in a bigger venue - these cirrus-cloud bands of gothic purple and blue were invented to impress 20,000 people at a time. Their commitment to anthems that spill out in huge dark waves will also stand them in good stead when the time comes. All of this, even in a smaller hall, is nothing less than awe-inspiring. But the feeling of relief at walking out into the Camden night afterward is considerable.

· At the Wireless festival, Leeds on June 16 and London on June 17. Details: www.wirelessfestival.co.uk