Chris Thompson's full-throated dissection of the rise of the far right can't be accused of pussy footing around the issues like some politicians.

Set in an old-style London boozer on karaoke night, the protagonists tear into numbers from I Will Survive to Here Comes the Hotstepper.

The Albion pub is home to the English Protection Army, whose leader Paul faces opposition from within as he tries to soften their thuggish image.

When he turns for help to Christine, a sacked social worker with a grudge, it seems his dream of repackaging the group for broader appeal might just be working.

Caught in the middle is Jayson, a reluctant member of the EPA forced to question his involvement with the group when he falls for Aashir, a young Asian man.

Getting the protagonists to express their emotions through karaoke is a novel idea.

The quality of singing varies enormously but this isn't a musical as such so that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The more laboured efforts highlight the difficulty some people have in making their voices heard, while the slicker efforts show up the focus on style over substance so endemic in modern politics.

More importantly, the sing-alongs reveal we're firmly on the home turf of Jayson. The renditions feel like a battle for his soul and that of middle England.

Here is a man who is clearly disaffected and doesn't know who to trust, but hates being mocked by the 'liberal elite' as they like to call themselves. For him karaoke is the great leveller.

Thompson's debut play Carthage, about the agonising decisions facing social workers, was such a triumph it was always going to be hard to live up to.

Albion is a warm and entertaining look at an equally difficult subject but feels more contrived than Carthage and hits a few false notes. For all that, it manages to worm its way into your affections by sheer force, much like a good best karaoke singer.

* Albion is at the Bush Theatre, in UNxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, until October 25. For tickets, see www.bushtheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 020 8743 5050.