T on the Fringe: The Beautiful South @ Corn Exchange

On all the windows and doors of Edinburgh's Corn Exchange are signs warning against crowd surfing. This seems unnecessary for a Beautiful South gig, especially for a performance as insipid as this.

Paul Heaton may be the writer of many a great tune, but he lacks the vigour or charisma to lead a large live ensemble cast. He is not on stage for many of their old favourites, leaving a vacuum where a protagonist should be. Nor is his flat, nasal Yorkshire yodel adequate remuneration for Alison Wheeler's irritating serendipitous nods to the crowd, or her formulaic, predictable vocals, all kept in time by three saxophonists, swaying in tandem like languid metronomes.

"At this stage I normally go off stage, but instead I'm going to sit here and eat some fruit," says Mr Heaton. Well that's very rock and roll Paul, but shouldn't you invest a little more time into the few thousand people who paid 25 quid each to come and hear you play? The crowd seemed a little nonplussed when the 'explosive' finale came and went.