Vanessa Brown has been hyped to the hilt. On paper (and in plenty of magazine shoots) she looks great, gangly and of Caribbean descent, with the kind of hairstyle that only a genuine star could get away with. Plus people should surely warm to another retro soul singer who falls safely between the full-blown catastrophe that is Amy Winehouse and the mild tedium of Duffy, and is a better dancer than both.

She is gigging hard, supporting Antony And The Johnsons at a Roger Daltrey Teenage Cancer Trust shows this week, and sharing the bill here with fellow potential summer favourite Gary Go.

When her stick went flying during a showpiece battle with her drummer it was obvious this was not her night. Movement was limited due to the “granny dress” this vintage clothes enthusiast admitted she had trimmed too short, and the abysmal sound was even more restrictive, burying her spirited vocals beneath a clatter of drums.

Somewhere in the murk were some fine tunes, including the slinky bassline of Bottles and the jitterbug stomp of Crying Blood. The Glenn Miller swing of another track strayed too close to novelty, and a cover of This Charming Man added little to The Smiths’ version but the chanting and surf guitar of Quick Fix was near irresistible. A better mixing desk and she’ll be on her way.