It is five years since Fountains of Wayne last graced a London stage. Since then they have know the ecstasy of critical acclaim, and the agony of being dropped by their record company. Then came their resurrection - and revenge. Signed to a small label, the single Stacy's Mom was an MTV-friendly success, and the praise heaped on their third album, Welcome Interstate Managers, almost embarrassing.

It is a story that wouldn't be out of place in one their acutely observed songs. Like Ray Davies before them, singer Chris Collingwood and bassist Adam Schlesinger write pure pop songs full of domestic dramas and everyday worries. Couples who don't communicate, waitresses who never serve.

A spell in the wilderness can change a band. The New York quartet suddenly appear looking like lifers released for good behaviour, blinking in the strobe lights, smiling uncomfortably. When Collingwood starts to sing, his voice is strangled by the abysmal sound.

For a band so defined by their clarity, it's a disaster. Smudged by oppressive bass and drums, the heart is ripped out of every word. Collingwood's easy, lilting voice is reduced to an indecipherable mumble. The atmosphere turns from one of disappointment to ennui. Not that it stops guitarist Jody Porter throwing rock shapes, feeding off the love of FM radio inherent within the songs, and exploiting the fact that at least we can hear him. He jumps on the drum riser and falls to his knees, living his Van Halen dream.

But it's no good. With the acoustic beauty of Troubled Times floundering in the murkiness, bad sound proves a fight even Fountains of Wayne can't win.