Richard Thompson - HQ

For a man with such a body of work behind him, narky old Richard Thompson tested the audience with up to six songs from his soon-to-be-released album before delving into his back catalogue. The good news is that the untitled tracks were hits from heaven, full of sympathetic playing and scored with such a brilliant rock dynamic that they would make younger rock bands split up in disgust.

The last track in the new (untitled) selection, in particular, was played with all the gusto of a tornado, featuring full frontal freak-out guitar work from Thompson that would shame Ian McNabb and J. Mascis into retirement and give Neil Young a run for his dollars.

Then it was into a selection of oldies but goldies, with Thompson trawling through a wide range of styles and moods. Backed by the stalwart musicianship of a group of empathetic instrumentalists, Thompson made good sound even better. With the pace slowed down to include the likes of Jenny My Love, Al Bowlie's In Heaven, Sights And Sounds Of London Town, and (inevitably) I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, he allowed a ruminative thread to interweave throughout the material, pulling it all together with the expertise of a seasoned seamstress. The result was a superb gig from a master craftsman. Missed it? Aren't you the silly one.