Imogen Heap is a one-off musician, and I suspect a perfectionist. Now this was not patently obvious as she wandered around her many electronic gizmos, rather like a confused housewife gathering the ingredients for a challenging meal, muttering as she went, and regularly pausing to look at the recipe. One of the vital ingredients for her first song was the backing vocal which she recorded then and there. Then the song finally emerged and one I mesmerised by the voice and accuracy of the various electronic sounds. I began to worry that I couldn’t note the order of songs played and then realised that it really didn’t matter; what really mattered was the show in its entirety; its utterly compelling nature.

At one point she tried to move one of the tables so that the audience had a better view. In the process a keyboard fell off and she immediately called for help from the techies who rushed on sporting wide grins – it almost seemed rehearsed. Before too long the guitarist from Nemo joined her and a little later the whole band appeared to accompany her on the intensely rocky Daylight Robbery, Clear The Area, The Walk, I Am In Love With You and Loose Ends. The band showed a far more interesting side to their nature no doubt inspired by the lady and her music – it was perfection. Then there was Heap hitting impossibly high notes that I originally thought were, ‘in your dreams.’

The show started at 9.15pm and at 10.45pm it finished although comically Heap signalled punctuation marks in the air as she left. The calls for an encore resounded through this acoustically perfect setting and Heap bounced back to open with the distorted tones of my favourite album track Hide And Seek. Then she sealed a very special, memorable show with the gorgeous, haunting The Moment I Said It. It had been a mesmerising show that had included all the songs from her magnificent album, plus a couple of old favourites for good measure. It is unusual for an audience to give a standing ovation to a popular musician, but that’s what happened at the Bridgewater Hall for Imogen Heap. And I could think of no better way to hail this unique UK singer/songwriter, and a show that I’ll take with me to the grave.