Only seems like yesterday (actually July 2006) that me and little sis were privileged enough to see the first UK concert by Thomas Dolby for aeons. This time, we find ourselves in an Islington venue situated within an anonymous Borders/Gap/Wagamama shopping centre. There's an Australian guy at the bar who's been waiting, he says, for 25 years to catch such a live appearance. To a relatively small bunch of people, me included, this means a lot.

And here's Mr Dolby, minus the greatcoat but still sporting assorted technical headwear. Weak start, IMHO, with the newly written Your Karma Hit My Dogma, though things take an upturn with The Flat Earth (prefixed by Trevor Horn anecdote) and Europa. Submarines, alas, is missing its essential bassline due to a software expiry issue.

A succession of surprises:

1. he introduces a three man horn section: real instruments!
2. on come his original band of (Soft Boy) Matthew Seligman and Kevin Armstrong: more real instruments!!
3. flippin' 'eck, it's Lene Lovich!!!

There's a blinding Blinded Me with random shouts of Science! from the crowd amid the Magnus Pyke samples, and a lovely I Scare Myself with Dolby / Seligman / Armstrong together for the first time since backing Bowie at Live Aid. Doesn't get much better.