Justin Currie walked on to the stage of one of Cardiff's most atmospheric and intimate venues, The Gate, with no prop other than a guitar.

The lead singer with Scots rockers Del Amitri opened with songs from his latest solo album, Lower Reaches and immediately struck up a rapport with his audience.

This is, undoubtedly a man with a gift for story telling through song. The evening was dedicated to a sample of both his and the crowd’s favourites, as he gamely performed every request shouted at him from the floor.

Dressed in black and still sporting his trademark sideburns, this 40-something, Glaswegian may joke about his limitations, but it’s very clear that he draws from a wide-range of themes for inspiration.

The Utah backdrop hints at Americana but Currie remains adept at examining the reality of rainy, cold Britain.

The centrepiece of the encore, the diatribe No, Surrender, channels Bob Dylan which is some feat.

Currie may swear in church, but as he wanders off mic and leads the congregation into the ‘we've all been there before sentiment’ of Del Amitri's ''Be My Downfall'' we’re aware that we’ve been in the presence of someone pretty special. A great taster for the forth-coming Del Amitri gigs.

Steven Healy