Last time I saw Mr Wilson was at the Wolverhampton Civic three years ago but last night he managed to get a slot at the best acoustic concert hall in Europe - the Symphony Hall Birmingham.

So how did it sound compared with Wolverhampton Civic? - LOUD but slightly more controlled and focused. Not sure the sound engineers had really used the acoustics to their best advantage and simply turned the volume up to 11. I am getting on a bit and want to keep what little hearing I have left intact! However I did enjoy the show very much. Mr Wilson's rapport with the audience was superb. He is a consummate entertainer and knows how to engage the crowd with sharp wit and dry sardonic humour.

Visually Steve had two projection screens, the first a very fine black curtain onto which he could project his usual slightly disturbing images but it was also transparent enough to clearly view the band behind. This gave the impression that images were suspended in mid air in front of you. The second screen was at the back of the band and was used for more film based material. Again lots of nice typical Steve Wilson imagery.

He was touring his new album, 'To the bone' and played I think four tracks off this album including a humorous tongue in cheek Disco track. Everyone was up on their feet at this point. The rest of the evening was spent exploring his back catalogue with some great jamming and extended versions of his older material.

The impression I left with was how tight and brilliantly skilled the band were. On some of the longer tracks Steve could crank up the power and grunge to even match Metallica for heavy rock but he also had a deftness of touch and artistry that left you in no doubt he was the master of control and composition.

Great entertainment, great music and a masterclass performance. Just don't forget to take your earplugs!