A skateboard would have been a less public way of attempting to defy middle age, but 40-in a fortnight Rhys Ifans has decided to front a noisy, psychedelic rock band with some Welsh friends.

He was supported at this London debut by Kate Moss, Samantha Morton, Sadie Frost, Gem Archer from Oasis and Carl Barat of Dirty Pretty Things.

The Peth - Welsh for The Thing - launched with a mini-tour of Wales, where actor Ifans is presumably regarded as a superstar. Unfortunately, this was a fairly horrific performance, despite Ifans's wild persona and his loyal gang of capable musicians.

The tour and debut album, due in the autumn, is a healthy distraction from Ifans's recent breakup-with Sienna Miller. But without wishing to kick a man when he's down, this always felt like a bunch of mates messing around.

When he swaggered on stage in sunglasses and a leather jacket demanding booze, he was uncannily like Liam Gallagher. But Ifans failed to impose himself on the songs. Instead, he swaggered and shouted some more to no great effect. His rough, unfocused voice wasn't convincing, although Ifans sang in a very early incarnation of Super Furry Animals and has been reunited with their drummer Dafydd Ieuan. This band was, tellingly, conceived in the pub and their stomping rock and fuzzy psychedelia might make more sense if you were drunk.

With its lyric "every other day I think about you", Stonefinger has got people suggesting it's about Miller, but was written two years ago. Still, Ifans sounded heartbroken and the audience went quiet.

He seemed to lift himself for the last few songs. and the single Let's Go ****ing Mental was enjoyably dumb fun. Otherwise, this was a high-spirited mess and another ill-judged attempt by an actor at becoming a rock star.