A WELCOME Yorkshire return for this modern-day protest singer. Nick Harper is a month shy of his 50th birthday, but middle age doesn't seem to have slowed him or dimmed his ire.

The packed house saw Harper play a strident set for well over 2 hours, and converted many to his cause in the process.

Listening back to his 1994 debut Light At The End Of The Kennel, it is striking how the talented Harper emerged pretty much formed. His penchant for long songs, striking acoustic guitar, and vocal acrobatics were there from the start. Fast forward 20 years and The Kilty Stone had a touch more experience bled into the vocal, but nothing fundamental has changed. The stage craft is much improved on his late 1990s' shows in York at Fibbers; charming, wise and funny throughout.

Even with a cold, Harper is quite a singer, not a beautiful voice exactly, but a compelling one. With his unique way of using the tuning keys to add extra dimensions to his virtuoso guitar playing (House concerts are a must visit for any devotee of the acoustic guitar), the elements were all in place for a spellbinding performance. It never quite happened. The problem is the quality of his songwriting, much of which is unremarkable, or at least hard to pin down.

Harper’s set had much in common with his Galtres Festival performance in 2013, containing (for this reviewer) the festival’s musical highpoint, performing Shine On You Crazy Diamond while restringing a guitar. Shine On was also a highlight on Saturday, strings intact, although they took quite a beating, particularly in the upbeat second set.

Quietly prolific of late, Harper's set was peppered with newer material. Perhaps the best was saved till the encore, That’ll Do Fine, which aptly summed up the night.