Last updated 05:29, Friday, 16 May 2008

Jethro Tull, Sands Centre, Carlisle, The man with the flute and the wild eyes – Ian Anderson – and his band of mature and merry men wowed a packed audience.

The group’s amazing eclectic mix of blues, rock, jazz, folk, classical and heavy prog-rock was a joy to behold as for two hours the band showed why, even after 40 years, they are still unique in British popular music.

Strutting around the stage, there was more than a touch of Ron Moody’s Fagin from Oliver! about Anderson.

He also has a mean line in witty banter, so much so if he ever – God forbids – quits the music scene, he could earn a damn decent living as a stand-up comedian.

“I like the shorter songs now,” quipped Anderson. “It means I can get home to bed quicker.”

Stand Up, one of Tull’s classic early albums, featured heavily in the set, as did classic tracks from many of Tull’s wonderful array of late Sixties early Seventies albums.

Early on we had the likes of their most famous song, Living In The Past, the driving rock of Song For Jeffrey, the marvellous harmonica-led blues of So Much Trouble, and the JS Bach-inspired Bouree.

They’d really got into their stride by the second half, with excerpts from the ahead-of-its-time concept album Thick As A Brick, the title track of Heavy Horses, and the awesome Aqualung, which brought the house down.

A standing ovation brought them back on stage for an encore, along with members of the excellent band Mostly Autumn, who’d kicked off the evening. It was a night to make you proud to be an old rocker.

PHIL TAYLOR