When he did the rounds with the Sex Pistols in the 1970s, John Cooper Clarke could not have imagined the crowds, middle-aged, turning up in droves to hear his repertoire in 2014.

Yet enthusiastic followers of his acerbic commentary were out in Bexhill to cheer Clarke on in a 21st-century rendition of Beasley Street.

His is a wry look on life: how deep would the sea be if there were no sponges? He laughed at his own jokes and got a big applause for a limerick that doesn’t rhyme and Evidently Chickentown, formerly banned from BBC Radio 2 for its swear words.

For all his fame and renaissance this punk poet laureate, recently awarded an honorary doctorate from his native Salford University, has an extraordinary gift. It’s not just limited to his poetic repertoire studied now in schools, nor his accomplished set more stand-up today than performance poetry, and it’s definitely not that his is the voice of Domino’s Pizzas and more recently McCain oven chips – although Clarke is proud to admit this.

The show Clarke gave Bexhill seemed special. He cut a familiar figure in all black, skinny as a lathe in drainpipe jeans, trademark backcombed shock of hair and shades.

He might have fooled everyone present that this was a new set. Yet Clarke has been around for decades – he’s 65 now – and clips of the same show he delivered on Sunday night are there for all to see on YouTube, uploaded in 2010. Do watch.