Gig review: Richard Thompson at Leeds Irish Centre

Many people in tonight’s sizable audience have probably been on board since Thompson’s earliest recordings as part of Fairport Convention. That was certainly quite a long time ago. Thompson remarks that this year marks the 50th anniversary of his first famous group’s foundation, and tonight’s generous two-hour set includes two vintage cuts from the repertoire of the most hallowed of British folk-rock collectives.

That aside, there isn’t a whiff of cosy nostalgia to the proceedings. Dressed in his trademark beret and a worn-out sleeveless denim jacket, the 69-year-old guitarist and songwriter remains very much focused on the here and now.

Most veteran musicians would risk being driven to the city limits in a generous coating of tar and feathers if they peppered their set with freshly released material.

However, Thompson can well afford to dispatch his most celebrated composition (Meet On The Ledge, a song about mortality Thompson wrote as a teenager that positively sizzles with vitality tonight) a few songs into the set and ignore many of his best-lov