“Cambridge - long time, no see,” says Alex Trimble after waltzing onto the stage at a sold-out Corn Exchange sporting a pair of dazzling golden Chelsea boots.

And he’s right. It’s been four years since the trio have embarked on a UK tour, and a lot has happened in that time.

The band has released a new top 10 album, Gameshow, is back on the festival circuit - with an appearance on the iconic Pyramid stage at Glastonbury under its belt - and Trimble’s teddy-boy quiff has morphed into a flowing near shoulder-length head of ginger locks.

But, as the Northern Irishman said in an interview last year, the last few years haven’t all been plain sailing.

The band admitted they were at the end of their tether after almost 200 shows in 2013, “despising” one another as they were forced to cancel a headline slot at Latitude amid struggles to find their true musical identity.

But, four years later, there’s no sign of any animosity between members Alex, Kevin and Sam, as the three-piece showcase their evolution as a band on stage.

Favourites from debut album Tourist History understandably draw the biggest cheers from the punters, but the freshly-penned disco-infused Are We Ready (Wreck), Ordinary and Lavender prove that the band is still capable of re-writing a genre that many considered to be on the way out – and that they have finally found their niche.

A treat for the eyes as well as the ears, TDCC’s catalogue of screeching lead guitar-led tunes is supported by seven huge LCD screens which act as a backdrop of kaleidoscopic colour for Sleep Alone, Next Year and Sun, with the latter bathing the venue in a warm amber glow.

Frontmen often wax lyrical about how much they are enjoying themselves on stage and how grateful they are that so many of the crowd came out, but there’s a distinct level of sincerity when Trimble thanks the crowd for their enthusiasm – almost as if he thought we’d forgotten about them.

We haven’t, and their infectious indie anthems sound just as good as they did four years ago - if not better.

If this comeback gig has proved anything, it’s that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

But let’s not leave it so long next time, eh lads?