IN his time with The Fat Lady Sings, Nick Kelly showed himself to be a sensitive and responsible song writer, but not one of particular importance. Which made last Friday's gig all the more astonishing. For Nick Kelly has come of age. Gone is that Ailesbury Road angst and in its stead is a more mature world view and a more muscular sound demanding to be heard.

He still pounds the beat of love lost or not even won, but there is a new found tension and urgency which makes his comment more relevant. That every new song, accompanied by an inspired collection of musicians, dwarfed the material from his time with The Fat Lady Sings (with the exception of the still gorgeous Drowning Maud Lan is roof enough of Kelly's increased stature.

Perhaps this gig was a water shed for Nick Kelly. Finally, that soft eloquence, those references to Yeats and that adult approach all make sense, because what shone more brightly even than his musicality or talent was his great big heart.