Much of what is written about the Polyphonic Spree fails to get beyond appearances. That’s not to say that the happy-clappy Californian cult look doesn’t have a certain novelty value - 24 members dressed in white robes and permanent grins certainly makes a change from looking like the Strokes. They sing songs about enjoying the sunshine, following your dreams and Other Nice Things. The Polyphonic Spree sound like the soft-edge psychedelia of Mercury Rev or the Flaming Lips, with rich harmonies and instrumentation borrowed from The Beach Boys. They are possibly the only band reviewed on Drowned in Sound to feature a flautist and harpist as part of their permanent line up.

However, if the songs aspire to the childlike innocence of Brian Wilson, they simply sound soppy and sentimental. The lyrical platitudes soon grate, and could be lifted from Christian rock musical Godspell or an Oprah-endorsed self-help book. It’s worth noting at this point that no-one else in the audience appears to agree with me. People smile and dance like children, whilst one over-excitable individual waves a homemade sun. The band is joined on stage by Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey from Pulp for ‘Hanging Around’ and ‘Soldier Girl’, one of their finer moments. After an hour or so of saccharine songs, they insist on giving Bowie’s Five Years the same treatment.

The band’s debut, 'The Beginning Stages of…' is a pleasant enough record, but they show the same flaws playing live; they fail to match ambition with inspiration. Still, as the band would doubtless say, it’s better to aim for the stars than the rooftops.