There is nothing that compares to watching a genuinely talented musician, especially in Brighton, when so many performers put fashion first.

Andy McKee – a portly, cheerful figure – certainly falls into the first category through no other reason than being a dazzlingly gifted guitarist.

His percussive acoustic style carries the melody with his fretting hand – through a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs – while striking rhythms with his right palm and thumb on the guitar body. He did this in a variety of tunings on an acoustic guitar, a baritone acoustic and a harp guitar, or “boom stick” as he affectionately dubbed it.

McKee opened with two 1980s cover versions early on; Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears and Africa by Toto. His high-colour interpretations helped settle the audience for two sets split with an interval.

He dedicated two songs to his main influence, Michael Hedges, along with a Don Ross tune embodying a fraught, galloping feel akin to fleeing the village mob. It was his own tune though, called Hunter’s Moon, that sent a wave of titillation through an audience left shaking their heads with bewilderment.

His style will appeal to musicians and non-musicians alike, having “changed his life” through video website YouTube. Viewing him online will leave you impressed, but a live performance is a revelation.