Year upon year, it seems that a band with an enormous legion of fans and a vast array of albums make a shot for the much coveted ‘rock gods' title, mid-June, in the UK.

In recent years, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day have reached out for the ultimate prize in rock at Hyde Park and Milton Keynes Bowl respectively, so it seems only fair that Dave Grohl and his band of Foo Fighters finally went for the top prize.

What could be the biggest surprise of it all is that the Foos didn't achieve this accolade at their enormo-show at the aforementioned Hyde Park . It actually came a relatively short distance away in the more refined settings of the Victoria Apollo.

What can set a band apart from their counterparts is their ability – or willingness- to diversify. In most cases, it's the only real way to stay a ‘step ahead of the game' – or to lose your loyal fans altogether.

Whilst Foo Fighters haven't changed their style like a proverbial chameleon and gone from This Is A Call to Kraftwerk; they have, however adapted styles from rock to acoustic as they see fit. None of this is more apparent than their latest opus In Your Honor – complete with Loud CD and Quiet CD.

For some bands, this could've been seen as a mere 70's and 80's overblown ego-fuck, where quantity is more than a replacement for quality. However, they pulled it off.

The main reason? Probably the fact that the biggest possible downfall of the Foo's previous albums is that they were actually too diverse. When they rock, they rock with the danger, joy and sheer catchiness of a world-beating behemoth, and when they slow it down to an acoustic level, they could make David Gray shit himself with their intimate and – ahem - ‘Floaty' numbers. This has drawn plenty of criticisms though.

There's Nothing Left To Lose was too safe on the slower numbers, whereas One By One wanted to rock like a dirty motherfucker, but still had to be home by midnight. Which is why when Dave Grohl stated that he wanted ..Honor to be known as the benchmark album for the Foo's, you knew that it wasn't just exceeding confidence, but it actually made a bit of common sense. Not to mention the fact that they almost called it a day after One By One.

So, we return to the Apollo Theatre, on a typically hot London evening, where the venue is sold out and the drinks are arse-burningly expensive. You're lucky to have change from a tenner in a two-person round here. Even though they could be content with their two gigs in London and Manchester, the ever energetic Grohl added in two acoustic dates in Ipswich and tonight, as well as a rare-as-rocking horse-shit gig in the Camden Underworld, to “give them a bit of practice” before the Hyde Park rock-fest.

As it happens, the two “quiet” dates are also the only shows they are to do in the UK to support the CD in question, and also the first they've ever done. Tickets for the show only went on sale a week before, with a combination of 3,100 tickets up for grabs. Screw Hyde Park , that's the equivalent of them playing a stadium gig at Accrington Stanley. Who are they again...?

Sloping on the stage with acoustic guitars strewn with almost reckless abandon, Grohl quietly picks up his guitar – and the Apollo held its breath.

Although the crowd would have all heard the acoustic LP, there's still an anticipation of if Foo Fighters - with their roots firmly stamped upon jackhammer pedals – could actually play quietly . There's been little publicity about this CD, with only Cold Day In The Sun being performed on a regular rotation with a noticeably soft-rock vibe, which could almost be taken from the Next Year era. Amusingly, in an almost autobiographical confession later, Grohl describes that particular chart hit as “douche”.

With a quietness and almost nervous anticipation, Grohl starts the mesmerising mantra of Razor, lonely on a vast stage. As the song builds in the intensity and speed, he is joined on stage with his bandmates and special guests – most notably – Petra Haden and original Foo's guitarist, Pat Smear. The lights build up, and the giant, snarling rock beast known as Foo Fighters slowly rolls over and shows its soft underbelly, tentatively to a few select beings.

As the show gently rolls on through the night, they mix two parts Quiet CD with one part back catalogue, as Still, dreamlike On The Mend and Walking After You are dished up as a delightful starter. The banquet is complimented greatly by Over And Out, a light and bouncy number ideally placed before the giant rump steak that is ‘Next Year'. Or turkey, if you prefer.

Even though the setlist does feature tracks which are aired on the ‘scream and shout' stage, they are re-worked with all the intricate loops and titbits that made them so delicate and lovable in the first place slotted back in, rather than being replaced with a sonic wall of noise. You want a quick salsa rendition of All My Life? You've got it. Think along the lines of Gordon Ramsey, just with a sock rammed down his throat.

On to Another Round, which is then followed with sing-along Ain't It The Life and See You, before Floaty, which is given a total overhaul with Petra taking over vocal duties from the usually rasping Grohl. Virginia Moon promptly follows, luckily losing some of its elevator music credentials live. Another glass of wine is gratefully received in the meld of Cold Day In The Sun, which kicks things up a notch with Taylor staying behind the kit instead of trading places with Dave front and centre before Miracle gives the proceedings a warm, hazy glow.

It's now where the show becomes a night to remember. February Stars cracks through the gentile façade, before Times Like These brings patient rockers in the crowd to their feet, still trying to show some decorum in the formal surroundings. During Friend Of A Friend, the hall gazes on with hushed voices as the line ‘when he plays/the guitar, no-one speaks' stops being a lyric, and becomes a statement of reality.

If you think that was a moment, then try solitary Dave armed with an acoustic guitar and tears falling from his eyes as he roars through the most passionate performance of Best Of You you're likely to see. He thrashes through the penultimate choppy riffs with no sign of his trademark black Gibson to be seen, and its that precise moment that the two sides of the Foo's merge and become one at long, long last.

The final twist is one that has been seen many a time before. How could they not finish on Everlong? As it soared to an epic and grandiose climax, this meal is complete. Topped off with a dessert that is as large and as filling as you could want after a rich and sumptuous main, it loosens the belt buckle without the bloated pain. It fills every part of your stomach without making you look or feel fat. Maybe for the first time in your life, you can leave the restaurant without wondering if it was worth the amount of cash that was left behind.

Even the tip was generous; no mathematical percentages accumulated or spare changed tossed tonight - if you discount the refreshments bar. You even had the cherry or strawberry that would be normally left on the side, because this really was everything you could ask for - with a cherry on top.

For one of the first times in history, the much-maligned phrase involving “the personality really shining through” can be said without any tongues in cheek. The wisecracking, one-lining Grohl seems to be carving out another career path in-between songs, while also explaining (nearly pleading) as to why they've done these dates.

Without the necessary screaming and hollering of a rock show, the Foo's can seem slightly uncomfortable. With many of the band deciding to take a formal approach to proceedings with dinner jackets and shirts on show, instead of the tattered jeans and tight tees often seen, it's almost like a reality TV makeover transformation.

Then it hits home. This band is – quintessentially – one of the most ‘everyman' bands around at the moment. Mixing equal parts macho posturing and adrenaline fuelled anger and passion, they also know etiquette and aren't afraid to show the more softer, feminine side of their character. Well groomed and patient, they will select the right spoon and fork for the required meal, and will also surprise a few people with their levels of intellectual thought.

Sometimes they may have the wrong side of their personality on display, which can lead to some frustrating results, but its only through living with the ups and downs of life that they can learn from that, and also prove some doubters wrong along the way.

As they blend into their thirties and forties, they can accept the tag of being a role model without feeling a little too premature for the task (Rye Coalition have a lot to thank Dave for, for example) and can leave the shackles of anything in their youth behind them. They aren't lead dramatically by raging teenage hormones any longer, and can now live maybe not peacefully, but more comfortably with both their primal and more sensitive sides. If life truly does imitate art, then you couldn't do much better than start with these guys.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I give you Foo Fighters. Genuine rock gods.