You see, The Magic Numbers seem to be a band who suffer from the musical equivalent of seasonal affective disorder. Either that or patience stretches a little further when the sun is out. Tonight, though, their male/female brother/sister thing is interesting for the first five minutes, Romeo's beard enough to hold the attention for a further two, but after you've estimated their combined weight for the fifth time ... the interest begins to wane, and there's precious little to differentiate them from your other radio friendly ColdBlunts.

It's easy to imagine falling in love with the yearning vocals and three-part harmonies on a blazing August afternoon, and the appeal of songs like 'Love Me Like You' and 'Forever Lost' is instant even in darkest October, but as a headline act their current repertoire leaves something to be desired.

The middle of the set, in particular, is instantly forgettable. Combining recent Warchild offering 'Gone Are The Days' with a Neil Young cover and a B-side might have seemed like a good idea in rehearsal but tonight it succeeds only in sending the audience to sleep or to the bar.

There's nothing wrong with the musicianship on display; indeed when they loosen up and jam a little Romeo's guitar playing comes to the fore and the proverbial sun threatens to come out, but such moments are few and far between. As winter draws in, perhaps The Magic Numbers should hibernate because nobody wants to see them undo a summer's worth of good work.