JOAN ARMATRADING came on stage to thunderous applause. “I came out here to do something, but I’ve forgotten what it was,” she ponders, gazing blankly round the stage. “Someone told me that’s what old people do.”

Dressed in her trademark black, with a wicked smile, this is the first of many jokes from a woman who at the age of 64 and after 42 years has nothing left to prove and can afford to laugh at herself.

After the first three songs, which included More Than One Kind of Love and the brilliant All the Way From America she proceeded to fein her final bow and tell us that she was too old for all this stuff, that this was her 109th gig on her final tour and she was only playing the 3 songs tonight because she was tired. The audience roared their disapproval and alone on the stage with four guitars, an electric piano and a screen she proceeded to prove that she has lost nothing to time, her voice ageless, her songs still have a contemporary feel after all these years and she can still reach those high notes that make her so unique.

Half way through her set she treated us to a bit of history with old photos of herself, meeting Nelson Mandela, being immortalised in the Beano, getting the MBE and being the first non-jazz person to play at Ronnie Scotts.

All her songs are about love, none better than Love and Affection and even though she threatened not to sing it, of course she did along with Drop The Pilot, Me Myself I, Willow, Rosie and many more.

Her uniqueness is unquestionable - her guitar playing magnificent. Joan Armatrading you are amazing!

Helen Brown