Vetiver

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San Francisco folk-rockers Vetiver have subtly developed their sound over the past few years, with the far out psychedelic jams of their earlier records gradually giving way to the slicker guitar jangle of new album The Errant Charm. Last night's well-balanced set at Shoreditch's XOYO gave a packed audience the opportunity to enjoy a mixture of the band's old and new songs as they headlined a high quality three act bill that also featured 2011's Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition winners Treetop Flyers and maverick singer-violinist Marques Toliver – both of whom were excellent.

Sporting his usual combination of hat and prominent facial hair, front man Andy Cabic was a relaxed presence on stage as he kicked off Vetiver's performance with The Errant Charm opener Wonder Why, which like many tracks on the album is dreamy, polished but rather unengaging. Matters weren't helped by some initial sound problems in the venue and it wasn't until a few songs in that Cabic and his band mates really got into their stride.

The turning point was a confident, atmospheric rendition of old favourite Been So Long, one of the stand out moments from 2006's To Find Me Gone. Luna Sea, dating back to Vetiver's 2005 eponymous debut, was another high point, although the absence of cello, once a staple of the group's sound, diminished its texture somewhat. The reaction of the crowd to this older material was noticeably more enthusiastic than the welcome accorded to The Errant Charm content, which can be attributed in part to the familiarity factor but also perhaps to the uncomfortable fact that Vetiver's change in direction towards a '70s MOR sheen has not been a resounding success. The trippy weirdness of their earlier music has definitely been reined in and tonight's evidence suggests this has not been beneficial.

Vetiver are essentially a groove band, and when their multi-layered guitars and keyboards are allowed to really stretch out and interweave they can be a potent proposition, true to the freeform spirit of vintage late '60s California that informs their musical ethos so fundamentally. When they try and write punchier, more radio-friendly songs, their lack of fizz and winning hooks and Cabic's thin, reedy voice become real drawbacks.

Nowhere was this more apparent than when the band performed a note-perfect cover of The Go Betweens' superlative Streets Of Your Town, with keyboards player Sarah Versprille contributing energetic backing vocals. The work of great songwriters shone out like a beacon and made Vetiver's own compositions seem somewhat pedestrian in comparison. Cabic commented that there didn't seem to be many Go Betweens fans in the audience; perhaps this was just as well.

Like Vetiver themselves, their XOYO gig was good without being great, agreeable but somehow underwhelming. That the band has something is not in question, but one suspects they need to go back to being a little more like their great friend Devendra Banhart and a little less like Fleetwood Mac if they're going to make the most of their strengths.