This seemed a very unlikely pairing. Yet it proved the things that united the artists were much stronger than the aspects that appeared to divide them.

John Watterson is essentially a tribute act, performing the witty humour of Jake Thackray with great precision.

All too often a tribute band is a poor imitation that bears little resemblance to the original. However John is the diamond-studded exception. Moreover, his tribute is genuine and it is clear he appreciated Thackray’s musicianship and humour.

Like his idol, John is also an excellent musician – a fact that could often be overlooked because you were so intent on catching every nuance and word. In this lay one of the first similarities with Reg Meuross. Too often with Reg it is easy to overlook the skilled musician because your focus is held by the lyricism and cleverly woven stories.

From his opening chords the audience was spellbound and the magic lasted throughout the performance. This ability to captivate the listener is clearly one of his greatest strengths but like Thackray, Reg also has a real talent for playing with words.

His inspiration is from many sources but he researches the events before re-telling them in haunting songs such as Lizzie Loved A Highwayman, which strips away the romanticism from the tale of Dick Turpin.

However, best known and by far one of the most moving songs was And Jesus Wept, which tells the story of a private, one of 306 men shot at dawn for cowardice in the First World War.

Gill O’Donnell