Music has seen its fair share of bizarre double acts: remember the infamous Bing Crosby and David Bowie Christmas collaboration of the 70s? But rarely have the worlds of traditional and modern collided so spectacularly as the day Luke Vibert met BJ Cole.

Vibert is a man of many guises. From the drum'n'bass twiddlings of Plug to the electronica of Wagon Christ, his has been a career in cool. Cole, on the other hand, has added the sound of his pedal steel guitar to the songs of everyone from the Verve to Kiri Te Kanawa. The pair's album, Stop the Panic, is less a set of songs than a collage of musical postcards, taking in countless influences from all around the world.

As Vibert and Cole amble onto the stage, it's difficult to decide who looks the most uncomfortable. Without a word, it's straight into the music. Bongo beats slap against a heavy bassline while Cole slides away, his face scrunched up in concentration. Vibert and Cole barely look at each other throughout the gig, each lost in different musical landscapes. Drum'n'bass, jazz, hip hop and big band sounds all make an appearance here, with Vibert's humorous but dark undertones resonating throughout. For Cole it's a case of keep up while you can; his delicate pluckings are often lost in the swampy epics.

The guitar god comes into his own during the cheesier songs: Cheng Pooey is a vision of Oriental loveliness, while Dischordzilla is a screwed-up horror film theme with scary twangings. But it's in the Hawaiian-influenced tunes, notably Fly Hawaiian, that this collaboration works best. The slippery steel guitar adds character in the absence of vocals and gives some cohesion to what can be fun, but just as often becomes a mess of sounds, squeaks and cleverness.

• Luke Vibert and BJ Cole play the Medicine Bar, Birmingham (0121-693 6001), tonight, then tour.

***** Unmissable **** Recommended *** Enjoyable ** Mediocre * Terrible