But in actual fact the Canadian band have, in their own words, knowledge of rock as well as knowledge of roll. They came came to the Carling Academy Birmingham as part of their quest to find the missing "and."

Singer/guitarists Steven Page and Ed Robertson have been together for sixteen years, and touring as a five-piece they really are a breath of fresh air as a live act. With skittish rap, bluegrass harmonies and verbally dextrous pastiches laced through their staple fare of well-crafted fast-talking rock songs, you derive the accurate impression that they are simply enjoying themselves.

Barenaked Ladies

New single "Celebrity" has returned Barenaked Ladies to British radio playlists, and it is one of half a dozen or so tracks lifted from the recently released album "Everything to Everyone." Of the current material "Upside Down" is the stand-out, an up-tempo rhythm not remotely compromised by the addition of not only that ubiquitous double bass but also a french-style accordion.

"Another Postcard" is a characteristically wry observation of the ignominies of everyday life, while the band's darker side comes served cold on "War on Drugs" - in memoriam to those people driven beyond despair and who go on to take their own lives.

His less-familiar new material was inevitably overshadowed by the exuberant reaction afforded the landmark hits of Barenaked Ladies - the delightful simplicity of "One Week", the wit and wordplay of "If I Had a Million Dollars", and the delicious satire of "Be My Yoko Ono."

Page and Robertson seem to have a simple philosophy - write for fun, record what you really like, and play live for the sheer hell of it. And that is a fantastic formula when it works as well as this. A more sober and calculated style of song selection would probably situate this band in the same unit-shifting genre of Semisonic or Hootie and the Blowfish - their capacity for that more routine North American AOR sound shown superbly on "Falling for the First Time" and "It's All Been Done."

Barenaked Ladies will hardly start selling out now in the effort to sell more CDs. They love slow roasted lamb with mint sauce flavoured crisps. They incite people to create their own home water features by stuffing toilet tissue into the bowl and flushing. Frankly they like a laugh.

And on the evidence of this envigorating performance, their odyssey is complete. They have found the elusive "and."