TWO years ago, demoralised by poor sales and scant recognition, The Pierces were ready to throw in the towel. At that moment, the gods smiled on them and Coldplay's bassist called out of the blue, offering to produce their fourth album, You & I.

Liking what they heard, their UK label went for the big push and all of a sudden The Pierces are a "buzz" act. And this week, by way of preparation for the festival circuit, sisters Catherine and Allison embarked on their first headline tour.

Curiously for an act who are number four in the albums chart, The Pierces hadn't quite managed to fill the Rescue Rooms.

The show opened with the greasy, grungy riff of Love You More, and it closed with the wry, deadpan satire of Boring – one of several songs that draws its inspiration from the sisters' experiences at the fringes of the New York indie scene.

The new fans responded warmly to radio favourite You'll Be Mine (or "the one-two-three song" as more casual listeners have been calling it), whilst the scattering of longer-term admirers were cheered by the inclusion of three numbers from the duo's third album, Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge. A surfeit of production sheen marred the new single Glorious, but this was offset by the exquisite two-part harmonies of The Good Samaritan.

On the evidence of this show, their delayed good fortune is deserved.