There is no point attending a Nizlopi gig unless you're prepared to check in your cynicism at the cloakroom on the way in. If you punched the air when Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer gave Home Truths its marching orders, it is safe to say that an evening in the company of two mild-mannered chaps from Leamington Spa singing songs about holding up the traffic on the bypass is not for you. But for the rest of us, Nizlopi are a rather charming proposition.

Quite apart from the heartwarming backstory - two 13-year-olds start a band, write songs on the back of the school bus, build a fanbase by playing in fans' living rooms, and 14 years later get a number one the week before Christmas - the duo are musically impressive. They may look more like chemistry students than top pop stars, but Luke Concannon's Tracy Chapman-meets-Billy Bragg delivery and John Parker's human beatboxing and skillful double bass playing are a surprisingly fun combination. Only Concannon's cod reggae raps hit a seriously bum note.

They don't appear to be one-hit wonders, either. Almost everyone packed into the Borderline knows the setlist off by heart, despite just half of it featuring on Nizlopi's only album, Half These Songs Are About You. They're an obedient lot too, dutifully howling when Concannon sings of being "like a mad Alsatian" on Sorry, and making traffic noises during the coda of The JCB Song.

What lets down the whole affair are some pretty rotten lyrics. Concannon declares his love with all the eloquence of a foreign exchange student, and comes out with some awful rhymes - "Love is the best thing/ I'm on the West Wing/ I'm on a bee's wing" being one of the worst offenders. Perhaps a few more instrumentals next time?

&183; At Glee Club, Birmingham, on January 17. Box office: 0870 241 5093. Then touring.