Paolo Nutini eventually made it to the Motorpoint Arena after a bout of tonsillitis forced him to postpone his Hallowe’en gig  and boy,  was it worth the wait.

The packed arena was treated to something special as the Paisley born powerhouse belted out hit after hit. It’s clear that in the five year gap between second album Sunny Side Up and current album Caustic Love, Nutini has matured and developed into the consummate showman.

His set started with the first single from Caustic Love, Scream and after a brief mutual appraisal between him and the crowd, it was after, Let Me Down Easy, that the Cardiff love affair truly began.

This tour has seen him bolder and heavier than before, and while he invites endless comparisons with Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrisson and even the late Joe Cocker, this young man is unique.

He has a range that can move from soulful blues through to rasping rock in a blink, if you close your eyes with torch song Diana, Nutini evokes the sound and feel of an era long before he was born, whilst These Streets, backed by home footage of his childhood poignantly exploited the innocence and trepidation of his first London experience.

Through Jenny Don’t Be Hasty and New Shoes, which were both cleverly re-worked, to the anthemic Pencil Full of Lead and Candy, Nutini could do no wrong and dedicating Looking for Something to his mother was always going to be a winner in a Welsh venue.

It may only be mid January, but I think I’ve already seen my gig of the year.