It shouldn't really need reiterating just how huge a prospect Rob Zombie's first show on UK soil in over a decade is, but to hammer home the point just a little further, not only is our Rob packing one of the most star-studded backing bands he's ever assembled - with Joey Jordison on drums, ex-Marilyn Manson axeman John 5 on guitar and former Amen member Piggy on bass - but bringing his entire rock 'n' roll horror circus stage show with him. Rumours of fans queuing outside a sold-out Brixton Academy by 11am only add to the sense of impending madness to come, and while Revoker are solid and Skindred typically fun despite a shoddy sound mix, we're all here to see one person and one person only, aren't we?

We've waited twelve long years for a UK Rob Zombie show, so another 45 minutes after Skindred finish aren't going to hurt anybody, even if there is just a scent of restlessness bubbling through a packed Academy. Then, the lights dim, the black curtain drops, flames shoot out all over the place and the crowd goes off like a grenade has been chucked into the eighth row. Rob's back, and if the man himself jumping out of a giant, fire-shooting robot to announce his arrival isn't enough to convince you that you're in for a good night, then you're probably at the wrong gig.

Despite kicking off with a thunderous 'Jesus Frankenstein', snatched from last year's return-to-form in 'Hellbilly Deluxe 2', classic, blood-soaked hits soon start sailing in, as the likes of 'Superbeast', 'Living Dead Girl' and White Zombie cover 'More Human Than Human' send out a clear reminder that for all his showmanship and bad-ass props, Rob has penned some fucking good songs as well. Still, tonight is all about the spectacle, and what a spectacle it is; confetti, fireworks, fog, pink beach balls, white balloons, huge movie screens, spotlights and even a drum and guitar solo from Joey and John respectively. It's an outrageous show that the whole building can barely contain, and the man himself is an able ringmaster; bounding around the stage like a zombie on speed (one of the '28 Days Later' ones, obviously), and by the time he brings the house down with an epic 'Dragula', the idea that it could be another 12 years before we see something like this again seems outright unfair.

"You know, it's been so long," muses Rob, " that we were worried you all forgot about us." Don't be fucking silly.