CocoRosie @ The Arches

CocoRosie have always walked the fine line between the sublime and the naff, bravely splicing genres, taking risks and generally making it up as they go along. Tonight, however, following on from the flabbergasting beatbox mutations of Pez (who also usurps the place of a drummer in the band) there's something about their performance which feels a little too contrived. Bianca Casady's Bjork-does-hip-hop vocals seem increasingly generic as the evening goes on, and indeed the duo's reliance on the same grab-bag of beats and tempos becomes predictable. It's Sierra who shines tonight, showing genuine enthusiasm (despite the hordes of chattering morons in the crowd) and providing the vocal highlights, particularly on Beautiful Boyz: the high point of the night and even more enchanting than the LP version. It's all hands on deck for a crazed schizo-hop free-for-all which includes the chant: "Calling all kids, grown-ups are Crazy!" – and although this frenzied dervish of a song doesn't quite work, CocoRosie come dangerously close to pulling it off. And tonight, that's enough. [Jay Shukla]