As if the head-nodding wasn't enough, the arrival of a pair of knickers on stage proves just how un-rock'n'roll Turin Brakes truly are. Guitarist Gale Paridjanian spies the lingerie with surprise. "They must have fallen out his trousers," he says, casting a look at bandmate Olly Knights.

In the lofty surroundings of Somerset House, Turin Brakes appear a bit grubby. Still, the band are impressed. "It makes a change from all the usual smelly places we have to play," says Knights.

More like a wedding reception than a gig, it's a fitting venue for Turin Brakes. They've even brought their own glitterball. As Paridjanian sits on a chair, Knights swinging his guitar back and forth beside him, the crowd sways to the easy waltz of Stone Thrown, from last year's album Ether Song. But like Starsailor, Turin Brakes turn bland. Though the poppy choruses of Pain Killer and Emergency 72 are enough to make you listen to a little closer to Paridjanian's keenly plucked guitar, the lack of euphoria is deadening.

Happily, their new songs are less self-indulgent and more fully formed, but the smugness is always there, with Knights referring to Feeling Oblivion as "a classic" and making constant references to their new album-in-the-making. Although Turin Brakes believe they're something special, in truth they're just OK.