Bryan Ferry

From space-age glamrocker to smooth, svelte crooner, Bryan Ferry has grown old more gracefully than most, and when he played for two nights at Dublin's Olympia Theatre, he earned himself the title of rock's most distinguished gentleman. At 53, Ferry still looks dapper and debonaire - bet your dad wouldn't look so cool in leather trousers. From his early days fronting Roxy Music, Ferry has always has a passion for glitzy cabaret and smoky jazz, but now he can indulge his tastes without having to keep tongue in rouged cheek. Backed by an onstage orchestra, Ferry delivered a mix of show tunes, solo songs and early Roxy Music hits, blending each era together in a seamless, stylish revue.

Tunes from his current covers album, As Time Goes By, showcased Ferry's timeless quality, and he handled the intricacies of Falling In Love Again and Just One Of Those Things with masterful skill; the stunning (in more ways than one) string section added pizazz to the proceedings, while the brass section kept everything in the swing. It was weird to watch old session musicians reading off Roxy Music songs such as Out Of The Blue, Avalon and Love Is The Drug, but at least the bass player sounded like a natural rocker beneath the monkey suit. Ferry built up a fine portrait of an accomplished songwriter and stylist. One of the show's magic moments came when Ferry performed his cover of John Lennon's Jealous Guy, imbuing the song with his own personality, and probably eliciting some envy from the direction of rock 'n' roll Heaven.

Let's Stick Together, in contrast, was your run-of-the-mill rock workout, but it brought the audience to its feet, and gave the girls in the string section a chance to whoop and holler a la Jerry Hall. Ferry chose to end the show with one of Roxy Music's more offbeat tunes, Do The Strand. This brash dancehall pastiche gave the whole orchestra free rein to whip up a riotous finale, and gave Ferry one last chance to play the lounge lizard.