Nor, sadly, do The Dears. In ‘No Cities Left’, the Montreal sextet produced one of 2004’s best albums but Murray A Lightburn and company struggle to reproduce its lavish production live. Opening song ‘Don’t Lose The Faith / Cos She’s A Tourist’ promises much, building up a Massive Attack-style atmosphere but never quite kicking in. Following songs follow a similar line, building up the expectation but never quite delivering. The muddy sound doesn’t help nor does a distinctly chilly atmosphere not helped by a strange lack of conviction and lengthy gaps between songs.

That said, and excuse the pretension here, the musicianship is first rate. Never has a flute looked so rock ‘n’ roll then when held by the sultry looking Valerie Jodoin-Keaton, and lead guitarist Robert Benvie’s fretwork is first class. When hitting their stride, particularly during ‘Lost In The Plot’ and ’22: Death Of All The Romance’, The Dears are a first rate live band to be reckoned with. Shame then that these moments are few and far between, played out to a stilted reaction. Let’s face it, when the chatter from the bar is louder than the band that surely says it all.

Disappointing but one still hopes The Dears can deliver in the future.