Chris Rea, the godfather of dad-rock and a man with a self-confessed "tie and cardigans" image unleashed his new blues style last night.

With a back catalogue as lengthy as Rea's and a career spanning three decades, it was a shock he chose to stick to the new stuff, perhaps surprising an audience that had expected some old hits.

However, toes tapped and heads nodded as Rea belted out tracks from his new album Dancing Down The Stony Road.

Drawing on influences such as Robert Johnson and Ry Cooder, the album is released on Rea's own label Jazzee Blue.

Guitar work on tracks such as Ain't Going Down This Way was raucous and almost abrasive but there is little doubt Rea is a technically accomplished musician. Some of the lyrics were repetitive but Rea's rasping vocals still loomed large.

Rea seems to have a Madonna-esque talent for re-invention and, despite the tepid atmosphere, was met with warm applause at the end of each number.

From his first solo hit in 1978, he has explored and experimented with a variety of genres, from the 1989 number one album Road To Hell to his 1999 electro, drum-and-bass concept album The Road To Hell Part 2.

Rumours have abounded that Rea is on the road to recovery from a mysterious life-threatening illness, which may go some way to explaining his slightly lethargic stage presence.

But Sun Is Rising was explosive, with a passion that was moving. This awakening to his own mortality also featured heavily on Easy Rider, Rea's nickname for the nurse who brought him morphine in the nights during his illness.

This illness was the catalyst behind the new album, leading him to create a work he felt he could be judged on. He said: "The influences that got me into music are what I want emphasised on this album."