Nicole Scherzinger is a very "current" pop star: she has a fan following with its own name (Killer Lovers), song lyrics that would make the parents of her young fans blush – if the mums and dads crowding the stalls at this gig weren't singing along themselves – and a disinclination to make any music but the most anodyne urban pop. The former lead voice of the Pussycat Dolls – and former American X Factor judge – last played London in 2009, she tells us tonight. She assuredly has not spent the intervening years finding ways to make herself stand out in a field crowded with equally determined striking singers.

Scherzinger's set suggests she is a club-level performer who has been elevated beyond her capabilities. Despite owning a voice that's both powerful and true – something more evident live than on record – and being able to out-dance her four dancers, she is virtually a blank canvas. Physically, she's all taut-limbed perfection, and her chat reveals Nicky-from-the-block affability. But her singing, whether on robotic bangers such as the No 1 single Don't Hold Your Breath, or blaring inner-strength ballads such as You Will Be Loved, is characterless. Worse, so are the songs. If she's trying to build a strong solo brand, she should have thought twice before devoting a lengthy segment of the show to Pussycat Dolls material, because the cheerily trashy Stickwitu and Don't Cha are much more memorable than tracks from her own album, Killer Love.

Additionally, there's too much padding in the form of album fillers so anonymous that even the most charismatic artist would have struggled to enliven. By the end of 90 minutes, though, with Scherzinger and the dancers still gyrating tirelessly, it's clear that stamina is no substitute for the real X factor.

• At Manchester Academy, tomorrow (0161–275 2930), and Birmingham Academy, Thursday (0121-622 8250).