Earle's wife, and support tonight, Allison Moorer is every bit his artistic equal. Her voice is perhaps better suited to soul than country or folk - it's subtle, sinuous and earthy. Her own songs reflect that, but she's got a covers album to sell so they're put on the backburner. Standouts are Jessie Coulter's I'm Looking for Blue Eyes and Patti Smith's Dancing Barefoot which, though stripped of the original's manic intensity, has a hypnotic sexuality. She even makes Joni Mitchell's godawful Both Sides Now partially palatable.

But Earle's the main event - a solo performance without back-up band the Dukes but opener The Devil's Right Hand has as much power as they could bring to it.

He's a scruffy but dignified figure on stage; with that and his scathing take on social issues there's more than a touch of Johnny Cash about him.

For the first 80 minutes there's no chat from the stage but after a couple of duets with Moorer on tracks from latest album Washington Square Serenade he loosens up. Hell, he even seems to be having fun.

Just to prove he's still an ornery critter, however, Earle brings on a turntabalist for one of his classics Guitar Town and, such is the respect he commands, the audience takes it in its stride. Honky tonk hip hop is an oddball concept, but if anyone can save us from Kid Rock, it's Earle.

His first words from the stage were, "this is a nice place", followed by choice comments about backstage conditions at the old Limit club.

Yeah, the venues have got better - and so has Steve Earle.
Martin Herron