Despite the seemingly interminable wait, she was worth it.

For one, the support act, Clayhill, went beyond the call of duty to keep the restless revellers happy.

Their clean, unpretentious guitar leads with lazy, moody vocals sated the baying crowd admirably and their jokes about Beth Orton getting stuck by a broken sewer amused.

She eventually arrived to a buoyant (drunk) crowd. But the audience soon warmed as she turned on the vocals, full, she said, of "forgiveness and redemption". Those who had bothered waiting obviously felt it too.

This outing was more upbeat than her previous and it's a welcome progression. There was more electricity in the mix and with that came more band noise, less bittersweet bleating and an altogether cheerier, sexier set.

The crowd were a little stuck in their ways, requesting all her solo works such as I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine - beautifully raw but all the better for being mixed up with the funked-up, toe-tapping numbers.

Orton was eager to please her patient fans and admirably struggled with her musical memory through Concrete Sky.

But they'll follow her in to her new, lighter terrain if they know what's good for them. This lady's purr just turned to grrr.