RICHARD Thompson, alone on stage apart from a guitar and an encyclopaedic songbook, is a one-man musical marvel.

He makes so much noise - beautiful, filigree-like guitar playing, each note as delicate as a petal or something else unearthly fine; and thumping rhythmic aggression, a whole full-volume rock band seemingly operating out of the one amplified acoustic guitar.

Despite the gloomy nature of some songs, a characteristic he mocked before performing the anti-fundamentalism chant Outside Of The Inside, this was an uplifting concert. Thompson puts so much into his music. The sheer physical effort of performing solo like that for two hours must take it out of him; but you would hardly know it.

There was a pleasing circularity to the choice of songs. Thompson began with One Door Opens, from last year's Old Kit Bag, and finished - on his third encore - with Dimming Of The Day.

Multifarious other delights were present too, including I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, Crazy Man Michael, Cooksferry Queen, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and, as his first encore, Beeswing, surely one of the loveliest songs Thompson has written. Along the way, he told a joke or two, teased himself and his audience, bantered brightly, and even threw off a startlingly good version of Abba's Money, Money, Money.

A full house of fans - and Thompson's followers are a hardy, appreciative bunch, not so young as they were, but who is - loved every minute of the two-hour set.

A true virtuoso.

Updated: 11:59 Friday, May 28, 2004