Gang Of Four had a roomful of devotees eating out of their collective hand Wednesday by giving them what they wanted.

The crowd at the Phoenix probably hadn't seen the legendary British band in 12 years, if ever (discount the time Gang Of Four whipped through the CNE five years ago opening for Sisters Of Mercy).

The principal gangsters, guitarist Andy Gill and vocalist Jon King, did showcase I Parade Myself, Tattoo and Unburden from their new disc Shrinkwrapped, and the often chilling sounds suffered only in that they lacked the focus and punch of Gang Of Four's earlier works.

But mostly, they led the band through a set of old favorites from their first three albums.

The disco-floor slugfests from 1979's Entertainment! and 1981's Solid Gold won the most cheers.They also received more concentration, and therefore a better performance, from the band.

Teasing the crowd with chaotic raps, Gang Of Four spent the first two songs in the dark, lit only by the occasional strobe-flash.

The group then crunched into Not Great Men and revealed themselves to the crowd.

They still resemble a bunch of frightened bankers - or, as rock scribe Greil Marcus put it, "extras from a British end-of-the-world movie."

But that made right-on versions of What We All Want, To Hell With Poverty, and Return The Gift all the more urgent.

While the lean, hyperkinetic King has grown into a kind of cross between Morrissey and Al Bundy, his lung-wrenching croon was more flamboyant and dramatic than on the old recordings.

Gill sidled from one corner of the stage to the other, choking the prescribed dosage of discordant funk riffs out of his guitar.

Newly added bassist Steve Monti, from the band Levitation, and one-time Curve drummer Lawrence O'Keefe sounded as good as the Gang's original rhythm section, though they did little to alter the surefire beats of those albums.

Wednesday's show may have been an attempt by Gang Of Four to revisit the glory days, true. But most of us were too busy marvelling at how good they still sound to care.