Their debut single, Crazy, made history as the first download to top the charts, but Gnarls Barkley have suffered an embarrassing sales slump with their comeback. There were even unsold tickets for this intimate show.

Admittedly, singer Cee-Lo Green and producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton are blameless: new album The Odd Couple is another vigorous dose of twisted soul music with some extra tricks.

But, two summers ago, Gnarls Barkley spent nine weeks at No 1 and, although this first airing of new songs was sometimes dazzling, the stench of commercial failure lingered.

Of course, sales figures don’t dictate the quality of the music. Yet this made for a confusing occasion, where you felt the urge to both cheer and console the rotund, bald-headed Green who led the performance with his rich vocal and big smile. “Have any of you heard these songs before?” he asked, a slightly desperate sales pitch for the latest album.

Green was certainly the focal point, which left Burton and the band to conjure up a psychedelic, futuristic take on Motown.

However, the sound level in the cosy space was uncomfortable at times, accentuating the feeling that a big act had been downsized.

Burton seemed oblivious, though, hunched over his keyboard and powering the music, except when he switched to xylophone on Gone Daddy Gone.

The turbo-charged single Run went down as well as the old tunes, although the attempt at melodic pop on Blind Mary faltered. That’s probably because Gnarls Barkley are best when they’re doing dark and depressing. Green’s most impressive vocal of the night came when he sat on a stool for the eerie torch song, Neighbours.

Crazy is, of course, their downbeat, modern classic. But fortunately it didn’t quite dominate this show as it has their career.

Tonight at Bush Hall and tomorrow at Islington Academy.