Boston alt-rock trio Sebadoh have been around for 10 years now. They're much admired by the critics, but have never managed to break into the mainstream. Following a good deal of hype, their performance at the Mean Fiddler was somewhat disappointing - professional, but unremarkable.

The band comprises Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein (who take turns on vocals), and drummer Russ Pollard. Their songs tend to be very short - at times no more than a couple of minutes.

Initially, this brevity is effective. Rebound and Darker Wave kick-started the concert in dramatic, high-decibel fashion. Then, the more reflective Willing to Wait was perhaps the highlight of the evening. A powerful, simple song, it moves from a subdued verse to a soaring chorus. Most bands would milk material as good as this, but Sebadoh kept it startlingly brief.

However, the relentless succession of short, hardcore songs quickly began to drag. Jason Loewenstein's singing left a lot to be desired - he seemed to specialise in screaming, incoherent rage (the words were inaudible so I've no idea what he was so angry about). Meanwhile, drummer Russ Pollard was impressive in an intense, primitive way, but didn't offer much dynamic variety.

Things picked up at the end of the set with a few, powerful songs. Throughout, the audience was appreciative but surprisingly subdued. This may have been due to the quantity of unfamiliar songs.