Corinne Bailey Rae is not quite as anodyne as her recordings suggest.

Any concern she might be just a bit too clean to carry off a gig of any real depth - a concern aggravated at first by her signature, slightly irritating, self-conscious smile - was soon dispelled by her assured command of the microphone, the sheer force of her undeniable talent and the powerful nine-strong backing band which brought her polite, jazz-lite pop songs to life.

Emerging shyly on stage, blinking coyly in the spotlight, the 26-year-old singer was a vision of breathtaking beauty.

Dressed in a sparkly, vintage, white jersey dress and white patent ballet pumps with cute little bows, she looked flawless and serene, her thick curls pinned back from her face. Forty-something blokes stared up at her adoringly as she performed all the songs from her debut album, introducing each one in a thick Yorkshire accent.

Halfway through the set, Corinne told the crowd she used to be the lead singer of an all-girl indie band in Leeds called Helen and launched into a cover of a Led Zeppelin song, Since I've Been Loving You, in homage to her Riot Grrl roots.

It was brilliant and proved that, whatever her record label would have us believe, she is made of more than just sugar and spice and all things nice.

So less of the butterflies please and more of the dirty DMs - but not too much.