A few songs into The New Pornographers' sole UK date on a wee fling of a tour around Europe to promote their disappointing fourth album Challengers, lead singer AC Newman admits he and his gang of Canadian indie triumphalists are a bit on the tired side. “We're doing, like, four countries in four days – which can fuck you up more than any drugs.” He's not complaining mind, but it does go to explain the New P's slightly subdued on-stage presence.

The touring Pornographers line-up features Newman, Blaine Thurier on keys/guitar, Kathryn Calder on piano, Todd Fancey on guitars and Kurt Dahle, and the five of them – who make up the bulk of the Canadians’ studio band – are sadly lacking their usual urgency here.

Perhaps locations don't help. DiS is, due to a lack of good leaning space in the steep cathedral of the old Camden Palace, on the fourth of five balconies up. It's a great view but we're almost looking straight down on proceedings. Tracks from Challengers and older albums jog along to a semi-muted reaction, but things brighten up considerably as we sprint onwards the end of the set. ‘The Spirit of Giving’, with its “St Christopher and Johanna” refrain, has the audience's sweaty palm mutating from muted grip to spirited clapping. Goodness! And then the lovely 'Spanish Techno' is wheeled out like a slightly eccentric old uncle to entertain the Camden crowd before bedtime. Oh, how they dance.

If it wasn’t a cold autumn night in a soggy Camden with a shattered band we could have been in for a treat. It’s a shame Newman and Co’s power-pop proves to be not quite hot enough to warm us up this time around.