Knightley, one half of Britain’s best folk roots duo Show of Hands (or, more accurately, one quarter since their expansion to a four-piece), can more often than not be seen out touring on his own during the band’s downtime.

And as with all folkies, the venue is immaterial (from village halls to the Albert Hall in this case) and the excellent, unreconstructed Shelley proved perfect for Knightley, a regular at promoter Paul Burke’s Bournemouth Folk Club gigs.

As usual, there were as many stories as songs which, to be fair, wasn’t surprising given that this was the 'Pass Notes – The Stories Behind the Songs' 2020 Tour.

With a back catalogue as long as your arm and a story for every song, the 65-year-old regales his audience with, in turn, extraordinary, moving and self-deprecating folk tales. And never let it be said that he’s not a good talker, as he examines the art of songwriting, instrumentation and reveals his inspirations.

Singing also comes effortlessly to Knightley, words just tumble out in his chocolate rich voice, whether it is on an old classic or some unheard new material – and the one thing you can’t accuse him or SoH of is resting on the laurels of well-known tunes as they constantly churn out new songs.

And his playing ain’t bad either (famously, he taught PJ Harvey guitar), with a motley quartet of stringed instruments at his disposal for him to deliver a great sound – even without the fiddly bits usually added by Phil Beer.

Knightley collected songs into groups; thus we had the personal song born of a single phrase uttered by his wife, Are We Alright, followed by the commissioned Home To A Million Thoughts, written for the reopening of Exeter’s museum.

Cruel River came from an everyday expression and Yeovil Town is a story song about a near punch-up in a Somerset chippie. Poppy Day was inspired by a newspaper photograph and Just Enough To Lose was taken from a quote from sometime collaborator, American singer-songwriter Richard Shindell about Trump’s America.

Family connections flowed through Swift & Bold, a piece written for Exeter-based Army regiment The Rifles, for which Knightley was made a honorary Rifleman. Transported told the story of modern day sheep rustling set against the former punishment for such nefarious behaviour.

An excellent, thought-provoking, educational and entertaining evening was rounded off with The Dive, a poignant story of a temporarily missing scallop diver, the storming condemnation of bankers in AIG and, finally, Lost, inspired by tragic round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst.

Knightley wondered afterwards if he had been talking too much during the show. He hadn’t – it was a perfect balance of words and music. As ever, Steve Knightley never fails to deliver.

You can catch Beer, the other half (or quarter) of Show of Hands, playing solo at this very venue on March 14.