It all started bady with the support act.

Firstly, the audience didn't expect him to appear and there was a frisson of concern that somehow we'd all gone through the wrong door and ended up at the wrong gig. Secondly, he was bad. People had come to be lulled by their musical idol who they had grown up with, not sung songs by what appeared to be a failed redcoat. The highlight was his "most important song" about his Nan who had died at the end of which he then introduced us to his Nan in the front row. Turned out to have been the other Nan and not a re-incarnation.

I had gone to see a singer songwriter who has been around since the 1970's. A woman who had Brit Awards and Ivor Novello Awards on her mantlepiece. Clearly someone who has learned her craft and is relaxed and at ease on stage.

Why oh why then did she appear with two other musicians. One permanently hidden behind all kinds of keyboards, effects and synths and the other playing the odd mix of drums and saxaphones.

Why go to a gig to listen to a synthetic rhythm section half the time ? And why have two accoustic guitars and one electric guitar which seems so temperamental that after every number in which it was used the roadie had to walk on, unplug it and escort it off to have it's strings tuned and it's polish buffed.

I mean this woman must have made enough on this tour to have hired a drummer and bought either a better guitar which stays in tune or another one to have two in different tunings (I did think back to the Kate Rusby gig where she managed to tune her own guitar and talk to the audience whilst she did it).

Mind you talking was another thing. Hour upon hour with no relationship to the audience (who were a bit of an odd lot if truth be told) and not a mention of the two blokes behind her until the encore.

I love live music and it's unusual for me to walk away from a gig feeling cheated but tonight I did. Ok a lot of her standards appeared and people got to sing along but for me it didn't really work. Worst of all I just checked and the one song I thought she had done and was puzzled why it didn't make an appearance tonight turns out to be by Janis Ian....