Queens of the Stone Age @ The Academy, 28 Nov

It pains me to type it: but lamenting the Queens of old could become the way of the future. The combination of Josh Homme's devil-tongued cool, Nick Oliveri's bare-chested buffoonery and Mark Lanegan's haunting apparition-like rouse were the attributes which made these unpredictable desert dwelling outlaws such an exciting proposition just a few short years ago. Maybe their latest LP was more in the vein of what Rated R junkies were after, but the trading in of rough and ready for slick and shiny is transparent tonight.

Sick, Sick, Sick ruptures awkwardly from the PA and struggles to crawl its way around the Academy's hollow shell while reminders of Homme's genius - like Misfit Love's mechanical stomp, something akin to Aphex Twin covering Beat It – are hushed when he turns Feel Good Hit of the Summer into a Spandau Ballet medley. Former highlights become flailing lowlights when the frontman attempts to imitate Oliveri's bark on Millionaire, followed by Lanegan's growl on Song for the Dead. Sure, Homme can hardly amandon his own songs, but this is not a good look. [Johnny Langlands]