Inspired by blues and jazz from the 1920s and 30s, American singer Madeleine Peyroux still manages to stamp her own unique sound and spirit on songs old and new.

Seeing her perform at the Pavilion last night was a wondrous experience. The small but appreciative audience didn’t seem particularly responsive at first but after 90 minutes it became clear that they’d been soaking it all up and they gave her an impressive ovation.

Performing with her regular trio, Peyroux plays acoustic guitar and ukulele with Steely Dan lead guitarist Jon Herington on electric guitar and Barak Mori on upright bass.

Together with Peyroux’s singular voice, superb in it’s timbre, timing and phrasing, it’s a stunning combination.

After years of working together these three appear incapable of producing anything other than astonishingly clever and beautiful music, though that beauty is not always conventional, it delivers what has been aptly described as “a captivating melange of funk, blues and jazz”

They create great interpretations of covers like Randy Newman’s Guilty, Tom Waits’ Tango Till They’re Sore and Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me To the End of Love.

There were songs in French and even one in Brazilian Portuguese. Self penned beauties like Our Lady of Pigalle. Neat harmonies, shuffling funk, heady guitar breaks, loping blues and soul-searching ballads. Cries of passion, wails of despair. What more could you ask for? 

There was a nod towards the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band with a rousing version of It’s getting Better All the Time arranged for guitar bass and ukulele.

Peyroux found time for some politics too mocking Trump in song and mustering cheer from the audience for Jeremy Corbyn. Wonderful stuff!