Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner elsewhere in 2011

Associated Press photo

You can get caught in the hype and hyperbole of British music scene, or you can just judge the much-ballyhooed Arctic Monkeys for yourself. The quartet returned to sold-out First Avenue on Saturday.

Their performance was predictably succinct (75 minutes) and impressively exciting, a captivating blend of great guitar riffs, propulsive punk drumming, an unpretentious attitude and compelling garage-rock poetry. Very British and very, very good.

The quartet from Sheffield, England, has hit the States in advance of the June 7 release of their fourth full length, "Suck It and See." Five of the 19 songs at First Ave came from the new album. Unlike their last visit to Minneapolis in 2009, the Arctic Monkeys didn't have a keyboardist this time.

With stage fog spewing and strobe lights flashing, the Arctic Monkeys unleashed post-punk with a careening tension, contrasting a wiry double-guitar fury with quiet passages in the same song. A few numbers ended with a postlude that reprised a key passage from the piece (including a very Doors-like coda for the new "Brick by Brick").

Mop-topped singer Alex Turner, 25, was light on the chatter and focused more on his cool guitar riffs and delivering his words with purpose. He comes across as one of England's more eminently likable rock frontmen.

The highlights were the early hits that kept the dancefloor percolating — 2005's "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and the finale, 2007's "Fluorescent Adolescent."

Opening was Brit buzz band the Vaccines, a post-punk group that fared best when they displayed their Ramones influences.

Here is the Arctic Monkeys set list from First Avenue; songs from "Suck It and See" have an asterisk:

Library Pictures* / Brianstorm/ This House Is a Circus/ Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair* / Pretty Visitors/ Teddy Picker/ Crying Lightning/ Brick by Brick* / Cornerstone/ I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor/ Potion Approaching/ All My Own Stunts* / If You Were There, Beware/ Do Me a Favour/ When the Sun Goes Down ENCORE The Hellcat Spangled Sha-La-La-La* / View from the Afternoon/ Fluorescent Adolescent