Joan Armatrading at the Barbican

I think the first time I went to see Joan in concert might have been 30 years ago, so it felt right to see her on what was supposed to be her last ever world tour. Indeed, as she announced at the Barbican, on the 120th performance of her last tour.

Joan has always had a quite devoted fan base. And by now it is a quite elderly one too. But she does have a truly delightful stage presence. She is witty and intimate with her audience. You feel you are amongst friends.

One might say she is Britain's answer to Tracy Chapman, but in truth Tracy is only America's answer to Joan. Everything about her seems unlikely. Black, lesbian, Tory supporter from the Black Country who, as she explained in a little photo-montage section, has met Nelson Mandela, has her photo hanging in the National Portrait Gallery ....

...and has played with many of the greats. Her voice has enormous range, deep and powerful at times, but then high and fragile at others. She can do real rock stuff on an electric guitar despite being a lady of pensionable age, but in no way did that seem incongruous. She played most of her hits and, luckily for me, concentrated on her earlier work, with which I am familiar, and not her later Blues stuff with which I am not.

It was just a lovely laid back evening to savour.