No waves rose in the 1970s that didn't have Nick Lowe cheerfully surfing their crest. The veteran of pub, punk and power-pop turned 65 in March, but when he sailed into Komedia this bank holiday he politely declined the audience’s invitation to take a genteel cruise around familiar ground.

“This is a quality set, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “Four hits and more glorious misses.”

Among the hits were I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock n Roll), What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding (which he wrote for Elvis Costello), and Alison (which Elvis Costello wrote and Lowe produced).

The highlights on the night included a mordant performance of I Trained Her To Love Me, a powerful rendition of Ragin’ Eyes and I Live On A Battlefield.

This last song, Lowe told the crowd, was covered by Diana Ross, whose lacklustre performance nevertheless shifted enough units to buy him a new bathroom.

The tale sums up Lowe’s down-to-earth attitude to the surreal side of his career. His knack for sweet melodies and bitter lyrics has stood him in good stead and proved a crowd-pleaser on this occasion, with the full house hollering for more.