The last time we saw Alison Goldfrapp she was as over-the-top as pop gets, a glittery space vixen making a capable fist of being an odder sister to Kylie and Madonna.

But the high-glamour synth pop has all but vanished from her latest album with reclusive producer Will Gregory, a number-two hit this week. Seventh Tree, the duo's fourth release, is a daydreamy skip through the world of folk.

It's a beautiful but subdued sound - how would it translate to a live show that formerly featured deranged theremin solos and dancing girls with horses' heads?

Extremely well, as it turned out. Goldfrapp's strong visual sense has not deserted her - on the inner sleeve of the latest album she can be seen embracing an eight-foot paper owl - so it was simply a matter of finding the right setting for her winsome new sound.

Amid the pews of Islington's Union Chapel, beneath giant white balloons and with candles glowing everywhere, she found it. Her large band looked ready for a Wiccan wedding in floaty white dresses, and her microphone stand was wrapped in ribbons like a maypole.

The seated crowd was in a prime position to be mesmerised by new songs that leave more space for one of the strangest voices in music.

On Clowns she cooed like a choirboy over the barest of acoustic backing. She easily hit a blissful falsetto on charming new single A&E, and on Utopia - one of only a handful of earlier tracks to make the set - she left words behind altogether for pure, soaring notes.

Some will have been disappointed at the absence of slinky hits such as Ooh La La and Strict Machine, but in the interest of avoiding disjointedness it was the right decision.

Less catchy new songs Road To Somewhere and Eat Yourself created a lull halfway through, and Goldfrapp seemed flustered by the awkward silences between numbers. A belated plea for everyone to stand up was ignored.

Yet though dancing was difficult, a few tracks provided high points that were more powerful than disco. Caravan Girl was an upbeat, piano-led pop number with a euphoric rush of a chorus.

Happiness referenced the Beatles with its psychedelic bounce; and Little Bird was simply stunning, building gradually to a sparkling climactic freakout as images of flowers flashed around the walls. It was different, but no less effective for that.

Booking: Royal Festival Hall, 18 April (0871 663 2500); Royal Albert Hall, 25 June (020 7589 8212).