There was always a pleasingly melancholic edge to even the jauntiest Lloyd Cole And The Commotions track, despite the youth of the band, which was probably why their seminal debut album Rattlesnakes became the suede and corduroy-tinged soundtrack of 1980s student-dom.

Ten albums later, the beguiling troubadour is touring again – this time without his backing band The Leopards, and the prognosis is good.

At Brighton’s Komedia, Cole’s finely crafted melodies about love, longing and loss sounded just as plaintive and sublime as they did 26 years ago – and with a richer vocal depth. Cole’s self-deprecating, deadpan one-liners between songs balanced out the nostalgic feel to many of his musical vignettes, and the sense that the 53-year-old struggles to come to terms with being an ageing rocker came across as charming rather than clichéd.

Acoustic versions of songs from his latest album Standards held their own, but early hits Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken, Perfect Skin and Cut Me Down garnered the most whoops from an appreciative crowd, and by the time Jennifer She Said demanded some middle-aged audience participation it was a fait accompli.

A standing ovation after Lost Weekend ensured an encore, and it’s possible that a flicker of a smile was even spotted as Cole brought the gig to an end with the superb, and suitably timeless, Forest Fire.