Some bands are great; others have greatness thrust upon them.

A few, meanwhile, are repeatedly struck by great no matter how hard they try to avoid its blows.

Belle & Sebastian are firmly and frustratingly in this latter camp.

After five albums and a handful of EPs full of beautifully crafted yet painfully indie melodic pop, the Glaswegian collective who upped the funk factor on the Trevor Horn-produced Dear Catastrophe Waitress brought them an audience outside the sensible jumper and sixth-form poetry brigade.

But they revel in confusing the converted, tonight plucking out obscure stuff which even leaves me, with almost 100 B&S tracks on his iPod, puzzled.

Fortunately, there are enough danceable moments in latest album The Life Pursuit so that Friday feeling isn't lost. The Blues Are Still Blue sees Marc Bolan's stomping glam guitars riffs rifled, To Be Myself Completely lets second singer Stevie Jackson get soulful while Funny Little Frog is aptly bouncy and light-hearted.

There was even room for a pitch-perfect take of The Strokes' Last Night, in honour of the New Yorkers' simultaneous gig at the Brighton Centre on the same evening.

They may not aspire to be, but Belle & Sebastian can't help being great.