ARCH songwriter Al Stewart has always had a knack of drawing on the past.

The best songs from this Californian-based Scot often use history as a metaphor, so this current tour, playing Year Of The Cat in its entirety, was doubly nostalgic nearly 40 years on.

There appeared no particular rhyme or reason for playing this record now, in keeping with the Stewart’s pleasantly contrary nature. And there is no Year of the Cat. Now fast approaching 70, Stewart’s appearance was more gentleman shopkeeper than star, but his stage presence was testimony to 50 years performing.

This a man who was in the thick of the late-Sixties British folk scene. He was once a compadre of Paul Simon and Stewart’s guitar foil, Dave Nachmanoff, had more than an air of mid-Seventies' Simon, as well as being a wonderful and versatile guitar player.

Nachmanoff was joined by Tim Renwick, from the original sessions, whose harmonics impressed. In such experienced hands, the crowd’s enjoyment was rarely in doubt and the trio were good company throughout.

The first half showed off a number of lesser-known songs, with House Of Clocks from 2001 the standout. All were mostly at the wordy end of the spectrum with Stewart’s distinctively fey voice the glue.

Shorn of the contemporary production values, Year Of The Cat, an MOR staple, appeared somewhat rejuvenated. From the distinctive Lord Grenville to the Basque separatist/Rhodesian crisis anthem On The Border, through to Broadway Hotel, Stewart had hit a fine vein of form and this was a telling reminder from rock’s past.