John Taylor opened the first set of this packed club date with the fragile, unaccompanied piano melody of "Consolation", the opening track of his just-released album Whirlpool . The energetic whoops that greeted his name were silenced, replaced by an almost reverential sense of collective contemplation. A brief counterpoint in the bass, a hovering cadence and a change of key sustained the delicate strength of mood to such an extent that when the bass took over it was almost an anti-climax.

The gig, part of Taylor's ongoing 65th birthday celebrations, featured his trio of Palle Danielsson on bass and drummer Martin France - they formed in 2004 - and had saxophonist Julian Argüelles guesting on material and arrangements written specifically for him, though it was Taylor's clarity of musical vision and instrumental control that really inspired.