Leave your New Wave at the door, son - because in Richard Hawley's world Johnnie Ray is king. Who else, currently Brit-nominated, is going to gently ease into their set with the injunction: "Let's Ballad!"?

Suitably coiffed and attired, Richard Hawley takes the stage with only slightly less dapper band-mates to play a set mainly corralled from latest album, Lady's Bridge. Set opener and new single Valentine is quickly followed by Roll River (amusingly introduced as inspired by the "great flood of 1800 and . . . well, last year"). The other single from the album, Tonight The Streets Are Ours, is included, along with Our Darkness (dedicated to the missus) and rockabilly number Serious. Rarely getting above strolling pace, the tunes come honey-thick but not fast, which gives the event a slightly soporific feel. Finally, we get doo-wop closer I'm Looking For Someone To find Me, which teases with false endings but proves that he's fully stretching his wings, albeit in a limited sky.

After taking a long break (in order to repair to the outside of the venue for a well-earned gasper) Richard returns to encore with "Britain's Greatest Harmonica Player" whose name is unfortunately lost to this reviewer but expertly provides accompaniment for a cover of Lonesome Town. Beautiful stuff. The evening ends with crowd favourite The Ocean, which climaxes with squealing guitars, offered to the amp for extra feedback.

His retorts and asides illustrate his perfect ease with the crowd, while his highly competent band provides an authentic and note-perfect bedrock. This leads to the only criticism: lack of variation between the live and recorded experience. But if we're honest, we didn't come tonight seeking jazz interpretations.

With his rich vocal delivery and accomplished song-craft Richard Hawley meets the needs of those pining for a musical era long gone but still cherished. All the more kudos to him, then, that he's managed to take it from its niche market and lovingly offer it to today's music fans, who seem to be embracing him young and old.