It’s been eight years since the Arctic Monkeys roared out of their native Sheffield as the latest and greatest Great White Hypes of British rock and roll. Last night at The Vogue Theatre, the first of two performances in Vancouver, they proved why their ongoing successes (overflowing trophy cabinets and an Olympic Opening Ceremony under their belts) are entirely justified.

In Pictures: Arctic Monkeys light up Vogue Theatre

The star of the show has changed since the band first came to prominence. Singer and guitarist Alex Turner has transformed himself from nerdy-but-witty lyricist into a full-time frontman and supermodel dater. It shows in his ultra-confident performance, which began with him striding onto the stage with thumbs up and immediately hoisting a bra (presumably thrown from the hugely enthusiastic crowd) onto his mic stand.

From the very start, Turner and his cohorts were determined to demonstrate their musical versatility. Set opener “Do I Wanna Know?” crawled along as doom indie and “Brianstorm” rattled along as off-kilter riff rock, before punk explosion “Dancing Shoes” generated the first mosh pit of the evening.

“’Ow are you!” beamed Turner, who may have had a couple of drinks before stepping on stage. “T’Arctic Monkeys are back in Vancouver! Are we gonna have a good time wi’ one another?”

His band were ensuring that everyone was having a good time, whatever their musical tastes, delivering Queen Of The Stone Age-influenced rock on “Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved The Chair,” slick pop on “One For The Road” and funky grooves on “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”

Whatever genre t’Arctic Monkeys were exploring, Turner was grabbing the spotlight; striking guitar poses at every opportunity and working his way through an extensive collection of rare rock and roll hand gestures. Putting his guitar down for the storming “Arabella” he shimmied across the stage like the bastard love child of Mick Jagger and Jarvis Cocker, before picking up his instrument and churning out the riff from Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” before finishing the song with a mighty solo.

“This one’s for all t’girls,” slurred Turner. “I mean t’ladieeeeeees!”

That was the introduction to “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor,” still packing a punk rock punch, which in turn led into the superbly heavy “Evil Twin.”

Arriving on the music scene as the darlings of the British music press has always been a blessing and a curse. Because while every band is grateful for the luminous attention that blanket coverage brings, for every White Stripes there’s a Glasvegas, doomed for supposedly not living up to the standards those same publications have set for them. T’Arctic Monkeys might never reach the heights of their masterful debut, but they’ve stayed on target by moving away from the cheeky pop punk that defined it.

Whichever musical direction they’re exploring, with Turner at the helm, they’ll always be entertaining.

“Thank you for ’avin’ us Vancouver,” he beamed with a wink, as his band completed its encore with “R U Mine” in front of a churning pit of crowd surfers. “You’ve been a wonderful bunch.”

Right back at you lads.

Arctic Monkeys play Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre tonight.