Camera Obscura @ The Liquid Room, 29 Mar

A bad gig review does not mean the band in question is and always will be bad. In fact, the previously Skinny-featured Camera Obscura already write decent indie pop songs. Their intelligent, sprightly lyrics connect with singer Tracyanne Campbell's amiable but subtly tough character, and the six-strong band have a way with a thoughtfully memorable tune that makes them hard to take against (especially on singles Hey Lloyd I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken and If Looks Could Kill). But tonight at the Liquid Room Camera Obscura are guilty of failing to inject enough of their own personalities into the songs. Upbeat balladry like theirs does not call for either melodrama or deep sincerity, but a live show must be intimate if it is to have any advantage over a recording. What an irony then that their second album was called Underachievers Please Try Harder: exactly the message of this review. [RJ Thomson]