THE publicity leaflet for this welcome one night visit included a reproduction of a 1962 concert bill listing the Beatles as support for the headlining Joe Brown Show. Well, the Fab Four have passed into history, but Joe is celebrating his 40th year in the business and is still going strong at 57. On this evidence he and his current "Bruvvers" - Neil Gauntlett, Phil Capaldi and Dave Nilo - are likely to be around for a long time yet.

It was a gentle, nostalgic evening for those of us who remember A Picture of You and other hits from that often forgotten period in the early 1960s which bridged the gap between the golden years of American rock 'n' roll and the original Britpop revolution led by the Beatles and the Stones.

Last night's predominantly middle-aged audience thoroughly enjoyed his chatty and humorous reprise of a career which began with skiffle in the 1950s and has continued right through to a recent album recorded in Nashville.

He told us that Larry Parnes, the British pop Svengali who dreamed-up names like Fury, Eager, Power and Wilde for his stable of male singers, once wanted him to be Elmer Twitch (backed by the Fidgets).

Thankfully, reason prevailed and good ol' Joe - who comes across as a thoroughly decent bloke - continues to sing well and display terrific dexterity on the guitar and other instruments, including the mandolin.

An instrumental version of the 1930s American depression song Brother Can You Spare a Dime? was particularly enjoyable.

Joe - he was everybody's friend by the end of the evening - seems to have avoided the ego problems which might have prevented a lesser star enjoying a wet Wednesday in Bolton.

Good luck to him. Staying power counts. ALAN CALVERT

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