The length of barbed wire, displayed on a large screen above the stage, is an incongruously confrontational backdrop for Turin Brakes, the south London duo who specialise in folky, mannered pop. Last month's JackInABox, the band's third album, continues in a similar vein to their quietly popular first two records, Olly Knights' and Gale Paridjanian's voices curling around well-crafted choruses, guitars strumming pleasantly in the background.

If it all sounds a little middle-of-the-road, tonight's opener They Can't Buy the Sunshine hammers home the impression. A catchy, mid-paced number, it is one of those songs that sounds so inoffensive that it becomes offensive, taking folk and bleeding it of its passion and borrowing blues's guitar flourishes but none of its compelling desperation.

Things warm up with the single Fishing for a Dream, while Asleep with the Fireflies adds a brief touch of disco to the mix. The band's mild eclecticism ends up watering their influences down though, rather than using them to create something interesting.

The crowd roar their approval between songs but are quieter while the group are playing. It's hard not to escape the conclusion that, rather than being particularly thrilled by the tunes on offer, they are more excited by the occasion: it's Friday night in a fine rock venue and the cameras (filming for a webcast) are giving everyone a sense of importance.

The duo's cheery demeanour helps jolly things along. "This is shitloads of fun," beams Paridjanian from his stool, much to the audience's delight.

The songs do improve: JackInABox is blessed by a genuinely funky guitar lick, while Pain Killer sets the crowd swaying joyfully. Overall, though, Turin Brakes feel far too polite, like the token guitar track on an Ibiza chill out mix: even though they let rip at the end, with a wave of strobes and a rattling riff, the whiff of boredom is never quite banished.