Live Report: A Certain Ratio triumph at The Sugar Club

A Certain Ratio may not have enjoyed the high profile of fellow Factory Records artists New Order and Happy Mondays, but the disco-punks' legacy endures – and nowhere is their influence more detectable than in James Murphy's DFA stable. Indeed, early in his career, the LCD Soundsystem main man would cite ACR's cult hit 'Do The Du' as an example of a brilliantly produced song.

It's a tribute to the visionary abilities of the man who helmed that tune – Joy Division's celebrated producer Martin Hannett – that its garage-funk rhythms still sound totally contemporary. And it's not just ACR's production that still excites; even the band's artwork (check out Peter Savill's immaculate orange cassette pouch for their debut album The Graveyard And The Ballroom) perfectly encapsulates Factory's pioneering aesthetic tastes.

ACR are no slouches on the live front either. The aforementioned 'Do The Du' sets the Sugar Club dancefloor ablaze early on, and from there to the end, it's a non-stop punk-funk extravaganza. Of course, the devil is the detail, with the group's throbbing grooves rounded out by delicious flourishes: icy electro riffs; haunting avant-jazz sax; and Primal Scream collaborator Denise Johnson's irresistible soul vocals.

By the conclusion, there's a sense of abandon in the air that only truly great dance music produces. A Certain Ratio – it's fair to say they have a certain je ne sais quoi.