NOT many original sixties pop stars are still on the road and playing better than ever. Andy Fairweather Low is an agreeable exception.

The one-time Amen Corner frontman admits that he sometimes finds himself playing venues that almost exclusively stage tribute bands cranking out the music of his old contemporaries.

“I’m the real thing,” he tells the audience at the Tivoli. “Take my photo to prove it.”

They don’t need telling. Andy and his band The Low Riders are regular favourites at the venue.

Except for this tour (and possibly forever more) they’ve added a horn section and Hammond organ and become The Hi Riders.

It’s a revelation. Not only is Andy a seriously great guitarist and often employed by the likes of Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and Bill Wyman but his band is exceptional.

It features regular drummer, local Wimborne boy Paul Beavis; Greg Harewood on bass, standing in for an absent Dave Bronze; Nick Pentelow and Peter Cook on saxophones and Matt Winch on trumpet.

The playing was sublime and the audience lapped up their two set gig which paid tribute to rock, jazz, blues, country, soul and gospel before ending with Andy’s earliest hits Gin House Blues and If Paradise is Half As Nice.

Along the way not only gave more of his back catalogue but some Hard Hat Boogie, a dose of classic rock ’n’ roll with Route 66; more mellow territory with Hymn From my Soul and some stirring gospel with I Shall Not Be Moved.

There was much more but my favourite part of the show was a driving soul revue inspired by Otis Redding’s 1965 UK tour followed by a beautiful rendering of the Percy Sledge classic When A Man Loves a Woman.