They may not be one of the most original bands but Field Music may be one of the nicest.

Despite playing to a meagre audience of around 25 people, the band belted out their melodic guitar hits with enthusiasm and witty self-deprecating comments between most songs.

Former Futureheads drummer Peter Brewis and his brother Andrew take turns either playing drums and providing backing vocals or playing guitar and taking the lead vocal, backed up by keyboards.

They make the sort of accessible pop which has dominated the British indie music scene since the mid-Nineties Brit pop explosion, except their sound is heavily influenced by Paul McCartney not John Lennon, who Oasis favoured.

The resulting songs from last year's self-titled debut album are quirky and at times interesting, with kitchen sink everyday lyrics and a dominant drum sound, reminiscent of The White Stripes.

But somehow the music lacks the innovation to make the Sunderland-based band seem anything more than a Sixties throwback, regurgitating sounds which have already been played to death during the past four decades.

It may be that on another night, with a larger audience and better atmosphere, the music would have shone through.

Certainly, the critical acclaim lauded on their recent tour of the North-East, playing alongside bands such as Maximo Park, would suggest they could go on to better things.

But it was a disappointing start to their week-long UK tour, taking in Manchester, London, Liverpool and Leeds.