A lead singer not being able to speak might be an improvement for, say, U2, but for most bands it's a near-insurmountable obstacle.

Pendulum persevered, however, after Rob Swire suffered a vocal haemorrhage in the previous show in Perth. For the Enmore show they substituted album recordings of the vocals alongside their brutal brand of drum and bass.

The result was mixed: the vocals were flawless, even robotic, but for all the band's efforts they couldn't quite overcome the nagging feeling the focal point was missing.

Swire was still there, playing his Ztar (guitar-MIDI hybrid) up front or synths and various other instruments. Bassist and founding member Gareth McGrillen (over)compensated as hype man, imploring the crowd too many times to make some noise.

Fast and loud as ever, Pendulum started at 174 beats per minute with Salt in the Wounds and rarely let up for the next 90 minutes. As with dance sets good and bad, the slower moments only served to build to the drop.

The early part of the set leaned heavily on 2010's Immersion – The Island was enjoyably exhausting, with the second half (Dusk) showcasing the band at their most inventive.

Propane Nightmares from 2008's In Silico was the most bombastic in a set packed with explosive beats, but it was impossible to go past the early, jungle-infused hit Tarantula as the night's best as it delivered for the dance floor and as a well-rounded song.

Although the Perth-born quintet looks more like a rock band and is heavier than most, at heart they owe more to The Prodigy than Linkin Park – still, Hold Your Colours could be the missing link between the former's EDM and the latter's anthemic emo nu-metal.

It's a link some would argue should have stayed missing, but that was a dissenting opinion in the throbbing masses.

The crowd-pleasing remix of the old ABC News theme and Immersion highlight Watercolour ended the night in suitably over-the-top style. Given their first Sydney show in seven years nearly didn't happen, it was better than it had any right to be.