It is beginning to look like Arcade Fire have a lot to answer for - not for some time has one band been so patently aped by a string of young pups emerging in their wake. North Carolina's Annuals certainly seem to have taken a hefty pinch of inspiration from Win Butler and co, but unfortunately they rarely get close to matching their mentors' consummate knack for melody, mood and drama.

The six of them cut a frisky, co-educational dash on stage, young and enthused and a little boho around the edges. There is something of that Joanna Newsom elf-queen mystique to keyboard player Anna Spence's vaguely recherché vintage chic. And there is a sophistication to their playing, with much in the way of instrument-swapping and minor acts of virtuosity. At one point, Baker is playing drums with one hand, keyboard with the other and screaming his lungs out.

But that is the problem - too much of everything. Arcade Fire might chuck a dozen instruments at one song and it will still make sense, but here it is rare that the manifold elements really gel. The melodies can feel rather slight, and frustratingly they dispense almost entirely with the power of repetition. It is as if they want to write Bohemian Rhapsody every time, and end up offering altogether too many ideas. A touch more self-editing and a little easing off the histrionic throttle might help focus their obvious talents, but more than anything they need to find their own sound. The 2008 or 2009 Annuals might turn out great, but this year's edition just isn't quite there yet.

· At Night and Day Cafe, Manchester, tonight. Box office: 0161-236 4597. Then touring.