Five O'clock Heroes, Industry, London

You can't help feeling that Antony Ellis has made something of a Faustian pact with a PR devil. The Northampton-born, New York-dwelling singer has been plugging away for a number of years to little effect with his band, Five O'Clock Heroes. It is only in recent weeks that he has received much notice, having released a single featuring a duet with his friend, the supermodel Agyness Deyn.

The pre-publicity for this gig centred heavily on Deyn's scheduled live appearance. Outside the small east London venue, the paparazzi gathered to snatch a glimpse of the model and a coterie of her friends, including Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, who had assembled to see her perform.

As Ellis ran through songs from his forthcoming album, Speak Your Language, the crowd showed little interest and scant appreciation. They were waiting for one thing: the arrival of Ms Deyn.

Beyond the novelty of a supermodel backing singer, there was little that was distinctive here. The songs that preceded Deyn's appearance blurred into an insignificant mass. New-wave pop is Ellis's stock in trade, an ersatz take on Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Police and The Strokes. It doesn't spark the imagination.

Ellis's vocals and the band's performance were fine, if laboured, but the songs lacked memorable melodies and exciting hooks. Only "Don't Say Don't", with its looping reggae bass line, went anywhere interesting.

When Ellis introduced Deyn on stage, the crowd perked up. She sang on four songs, her voice slight, like a flatter Cyndi Lauper – but she can carry a tune. She also oozes charisma and star quality, confidently bouncing along and pogoing in a nonchalantly punkish manner. Wearing a leather biker's jacket with tight hotpants and stockings pulled up over the knees, she looked like Desperately Seeking Susan-era Madonna. An unruly shock of electric blond hair rounded off a look that has made her the darling of the style press. Her performance added excitement to the evening's otherwise humdrum proceedings.

Deyn and Ellis breezed through the forgettable single "Who". Better was the fast-moving, soaring "Time on My Hands", the gig's best moment. The show concluded with an amped-up cover of Abba's "SOS".

Ellis needs to inject vigour into his band. "We're getting too old for this," he joked at the start, but affecting such New York indie cool doesn't do much for his rather uninspired act.