Venues, schmenues. They don’t get more corporate than Islington’s Carling Academy, which makes their amateur sound system all the more startling. No wonder they’ve dropped the Black Label from their name.

White Rose Movement take to the stage to rapturous applause. If anything this seems to unnerve slight front man Finn Vine. To the extent he resembles a minor actor lacking any stage presence.

Drawing heavily from debut Kick, White Rose Movement’s set fails to match the sheer thrill of listening to this album blaring out of your stereo. The exception proving the rule being crowd favourite ‘Love is a Number’. Bemused as fans grow increasingly colder to their efforts, Vine leaves the stage with what sounds like a cross between “Thank You” and “Fuck You”.

White Rose Movement return to play an encore. Yet in the narrow confines of the Academy, it sounds as if they’re encased in glass. They must really struggle to be heard at festivals.

Following their luke-warm performance, WRM should return to the drawing board. True, they’ve got the songs. But to survive in this business you need some show. They should give Islington’s supposedly premier venue a wide berth from now on too.

(3˝/5)