The Spice henceforth known as Melanie C is new to this solo career business, but the rude awakenings are already piling up. The reaction she received at her V99 debut last month, best described as mixed, came hot on the heels of an NME interview accusing her of knowing nothing about music.

She didn't expound on her new musical direction at a press conference held in her home town of Liverpool before the first date of a world tour. She also found it imprudent to explain why she'd barely met her backing band before V99. She told us the important stuff, though: the Spice Girls aren't breaking up, she was "misinterpreted" when she called them "just a hobby", and she's not a lesbian. Witty and direct, she was charm itself. Afterwards, hacks queued for her autograph and came away wobbly.

Five stars for the press conference, then, but three (in a fit of generosity) for the gig. The moral here is that when it comes to authenticity there is no faking it. There may have been an Axl Rose rock'n'roll heart beating under that sexless T-shirt and jeans, but you could have fooled me. This was rock as seen by someone who thinks Bryan Adams is so cool she made a record with him: not rock at all, despite big guitars, a drummer in a Stetson and Sporty's feel-my-pain shouting.

She is typically sold as the Spice who can sing, and she certainly went for it, hitting the top of her range in a way that made the heavy-metal thumpers indistinguishable from the pop ballads. But can she get what she really, really wants by just wading in and blustering her way through? Can an act based on bust-a-gut delivery and lyrics such as "Dream weaver, soul believer, soul catcher, body snatcher" be transformed into something Spice fans can grow into as they grow up?

The full, mostly young, house seemed to think so. Tellingly, though, they saved the real approval for a punked-up version of Wannabe. The kids frugged happily to a song they finally recognised, Melanie did her wild-eyed indie dance and...a real pop moment.

Conversely, it emphasised the lack of same in the rest of the show, which was too lacklustre to leave any impression beyond puzzlement. Ms C is not a proper rock chick, is hardly an indie kid and does not interact with the audience enough to be a Robbie-style entertainer. So what is she, exactly?