Marianne Faithfull

The legend of Marianne Faithfull is a story almost everybody knows by now. She has lived the most extraordinary life, having started out as a sixties pin up, before descending into the crippling world of drug addiction and homelessness. Having conquered her demons, she is now arguably in better form than ever before. Marianne is a true survivor and tonight she stands, once again, victorious.

As her band launch into the title track of her new album 'Horses and High Heels', she glides into view and delivers a glorious, ferocious performance. Quickly following is the new single 'Why Did We Have To Part', an emotional heartbroken lament, drenched in longing and sadness.

The sweet innocent girl that many of tonight's audience no doubt fell in love with all those years ago is not who stands before us this evening. Instead, Marianne's weathered voice exudes wisdom and authority, beautifully complementing the subject matter of her songs. By way of example, a highlight of the evening comes early on in the haunting 'There Is A Ghost', a song she wrote with Nick Cave, which sounds both urgent and sinister. Her cry of "when you remember who I am, just call" won't be forgotten any time soon.

Now aged 64, you might expect her to have mellowed somewhat, but credit must be given to the backing band she has assembled – they're ridiculously loud and an incredibly tight unit. Despite his embarrassing cliché rock star poses, MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer deservedly receives a wonderful reception for his extraordinary playing. But make no mistake, this is Marianne's stage, not anybody else's. Her warmth and charisma is truly endearing, as she adopts the demeanour of that strange old aunt you always want to gossip with at family gatherings.

It's not all plain sailing though – a scratchy version of 'That's How Every Empire Falls' is best forgotten about, as she forgets the words and is reduced to reading from her prompt sheet. A startling rendition of 'Sister Morphine' fares so much better, as she conveys the anguish of addiction with her trademark raw and brutal honesty. Despite the intensity of the music, between songs, she finds time to recall tales of each song's origins and what they mean to her; at times it feels like a cosy chat in her living room. A subtle dig at Mick Jagger, "the great, the wonderful blah blah blah" also proves that not all wounds can be healed.

A final onslaught of her classic songs shows just why she is considered one of the all time greats. Of course, we get 'As Tears Go By', the song which started it all. But it's the aggressively urgent renditions of 'Broken English' and 'Working Class Hero' which steal the show tonight, before a moving finale of 'Incarceration Of A Flower Child' closes the set, earning an inevitable standing ovation.

The best is saved until last however, as she returns to the stage for a bleak and poignant version of 'Strange Weather', the beautiful ballad written for her by Tom Waits. She leaves the stage beaming with joy and declaring that she is so overwhelmed with the performance. Rightly so, too – it's yet another triumph for music's greatest survivor.

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