John Cale will forever be known as a founder member of the legendary Velvet Underground.

It seems a pity that someone whose solo career has lasted more than 35 years and who has worked as a producer for famous names such as Patti Smith and The Stooges should still be best known for his work with a group he left nearly 40 years ago.

But then Cale doesn't do much to discourage the connection: He opened his set with the famous viola drone of Venus In Furs and shortly afterwards delighted the audience with an original arrangement of Femme Fatale.

After that, however, he concentrated on his solo material and played songs from a range of his albums from, naturally, his latest, Black Acetate, to his first major album, Paris 1919 (a gentle, lilting version of Hanky Panky Know-how).

His gigs often feature one album from his back catalogue more prominently than others. This time it was 1975's Helen of Troy's turn in the spotlight: His reworkings of the title track and Cable Hogue showed the power of his songwriting and his stentorian voice at their best.

One of the most appealing things about Cale is the way that, even into his 60s, he is not afraid to experiment and to rework previous material.

Sometimes it worked spectacularly well, sometimes it flopped. His slowed-down, electronic version of that slice of urban paranoia, Gun, completely destroyed the menace of the original.

But that was the only dull point in an evening of constant invention and hardcore rock 'n' roll. It was a shame that he didn't come back for an encore and even more of a shame that he didn't introduce his excellent band (including a particularly strong drummer).

But then legends don't share the spotlight with anybody.