Mainly it’s because her penchant for unfeasibly short skirts and overtly sexual clothing has effortlessly stolen the brains and critical faculties of music journos the world over, which are much needed when the hype that surrounds this band needs to be urgently exploded. Then there’s that strain of overarching American arrogance that’s, quite frankly, hugely unappealing, and then there’s the rest of Rilo Kiley. Who? Exactly. Naturally one can’t help wondering whether Jenny Lewis is just biding her time waiting to go solo. And on tonight’s performance maybe she should. As Rilo Kiley blast into the set, it’s obvious that Jenny Lewis has the voice, charm and lyrical skills to be bigger than anything her band can ever deliver. It’s a Hit with its well aimed barbs directed at George Bush vies with Portions for Foxes, a song about the unfortunate places sexual desire takes us, as a couple of the best rock songs of the year and were played with a fire and nerve-tingling passion that I hadn’t seen on Manchester stage for years. However, at this point that Rilo Kiley’s set went into a disastrously dull free-fall. The tunes and hooks disappeared. The energy levels dropped and, inevitably, it was femme fatale Jenny Lewis who kept me in the venue. With a voice to die for and the sort of star quality Fame Academy has never been able to discover, her future looks very bright. Unless the rest of Rilo Kiley can provide the sparkling tunes and chops to go with her voice and lyrics, it will be a future very much without the boys in the band. | 
