One of the hottest bands around, The Black Keys, rode into town Tuesday night and rocked a sold-out Cumberland County Civic Center. The duo from Ohio produced some of the raunchiest, hard-driving sounds since the twosome to which they are often compared, the White Stripes, paid a visit a few years ago.

They may not be quite as charismatic as the Stripes but the Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have updated their blues-rock roots in recent years and become a potent big-arena draw.

The Keys now employ a couple of sidemen to flesh out some songs. But their basic guitar/drums attack is still the first thing you notice.

An insistent, heavy thump from Carney’s drums opened the show as he staked out the monster beat to “Howlin’ For You,” a variation on a classic blues riff with a buzzing bass line that was felt in the furthest reaches of the center.

Auerbach’s vocal laid out how some girl’s “got a hold on me” while his guitar, with some keyboard backing, moved from simmer to boil.

Just like that, lesson learned, the band moved on to their “Next Girl.” Auerbach’s guitar work evolved into an eerie wail that swept through the high rafters above the swaying crowd.

On they went with the distortion-heavy chords of “Same Old Thing” before they arrived at the first of the featured tunes from their latest CD.

“Gold on the Ceiling” gets its hook into you quickly. It is one of those catchy songs that demands that you sing along and dance, as many in the crowd did. A bit later, “Little Black Submarines” and “Lonely Boy,” with its buzzing guitar intro and shuffling beat, had the same effect.

The Keys satisfied those who may have missed their more spare arrangements from the early days by playing a set of tunes with just Carney and Auerbach on stage. “Thickfreakness,” about as elemental as it gets, pounded home what was essentially a relentless primal moan of voice and guitar.

Though they may be moving toward a broader approach in their music, the wild and crazy places visited by these tunes still resonate. “I Got Mine” proved a fitting final encore to the 90-minute set.

The British group Arctic Monkeys opened the show and gave strong evidence of why they were recently named “best live band” by one UK publication. Leader Alex Turner has one of the most distinctive voices among the crop of bands to come across the Atlantic recently and it was matched up with some of the group’s best tunes in an hour-long opening set.

The thunder of “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” and “Brick by Brick” told everyone that this was a hard-edged group. But their more playful pop inclinations also came out on such tunes as “Fluorescent Adolescent.” “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” and “Library Pictures” confirmed their post-punk roots.

Two top bands in fine form in one night on one stage. This should happen more often in Maine.

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.