So where were you?

When a legend comes to town, you expect a full house, but only 50 or so good souls turned up to Fibbers on Monday night for a rare live appearance by New York-based punk saxophonist James Chance.

A hugely influential figure in the short-lived No Wave scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chance pushed the boundaries with his chaotic fusion of punk, funk and free jazz.

The man also known as James White appeared onstage looking dapper, but dishevelled, with impossible hair, an oversized tuxedo and a soon-to-be-discarded bow-tie, and a short instrumental led into Designed To Kill, the opener from the Contortions' pivotal 1979 debut Buy. The tight and funky band took constant cues from their leader, who has retained his strangled howl and unpredictability, along with his love for squalling blasts of saxophone, which were employed throughout to devastating effect.

Though the show lacked the fist-fights of early gigs, Chance has not totally mellowed - a polite "How do you like being in York, James?" was met with deafening silence. His performance showed plenty of aggression too, particularly during a bewitching and sinister cover of James Brown's anti-drug sermon King Heroin, which spiralled into the pounding set-closer and highlight, Contort Yourself.

Time has been kind to James Chance. He's growing old gracefully while his work is finally being recognised as groundbreaking, and is still a captivating and eccentric live performer in the mould of Tom Waits and Mark E Smith.

So why weren't you there?