Cherry Ghost frontman Simon Aldred has gone on record saying: "Romance and wearing your heart on your sleeve is more rock and roll than a crack pipe and an arrogant haircut."

This philosophy came through in his band's performance, which may have come from the heart but was lacking in rock and roll showmanship.

Cherry Ghost is essentially a vehicle for getting Simon's songs out to the people. Anyone who might not have known that would have soon realised by Simon's stage position - front centre under a strong spotlight - while his band mates were confined to the shadows.

A flurry of technical problems beset the show, with appeals to soundman Dave being a constant feature between songs.

This had a knock-on effect on some of the band's best songs, with opener Thirst For Romance suffering from a false start, while Simon's vocals were completely lost on Roses.

Add to this the surfeit of slow numbers through most of the set and you were left with a fairly dull night. The crowd only really livened up with the jangly, guitar-driven La's soundalike Mountain Bird and hit People Help The People, which had done its part to turn the smattering of people at Cherry Ghost's last Komedia gig into a throng.

The five-piece band only showed what they were capable of with the final two encores, album track Alfred The Great and a brilliant rocked-up take on Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. Unfortunately, it felt like it had come a little too late.