Ray Davies, The Anvil, Basingstoke

NEARLY 40 years on from his first hit with The Kinks, Ray Davies can still rock with the best of them.

The legendary singer-songwriter was on brilliant form in Basingstoke last night, exuding more energy, panache and good old-fashioned rock'n'roll attitude than any number of pretenders half his age.

Although he is hardly short of admirers these days - in the 90s he was even dubbed the Godfather of Britpop - his band never really sat comfortably alongside contemporaries such as The Beatles or the Rolling Stones.

Last night's blistering show proved not only why he is so well-loved, but reminded us why we thought he was so different in the first place.

From You Really Got Me to Lola, the Davies repertoire is not only superbly catchy, but overflowing with the hallmarks of his own playful personality.

The latest show, a much more exuberant affair than the Storyteller tour of recent years, combined restyled oldies with numbers from Davies' forthcoming debut solo album - all of them testament to his wit and originality.

Oh, and don't believe those stories you hear about Davies being miserable - he didn't stop grinning for the whole show.