When Beth Orton sings, she seems to breathe the blue vapours - she's a performer who can get to the defining ache of a song with a skill that is simply beyond most of her contemporaries.
As Orton approached the stage she seemed shy and unsure, but as soon as she began to sing there was an almost physical transformation - she lost all awkwardness and at times stretched to a level of performance that was heart-stoppingly intense.
Her material is always plaintive and usually down-tempo - she has a preference for countryish torch songs, a music sourced from the deltas and the plains. She creates an emotional landscape where the rent is always due, the bottles are almost empty and love can never quite conquer.
The voice is a blend of breathy, pillowy murmurs and hoarsely beautiful soul-cries and during the night's highlights - Sugar Boy and Sweetest Deception - it proved itself an extraordinary instrument.
Orton is not yet a great songwriter, but her talent remained palpable throughout.