Here he was playing to a half-full Komedia and yet the former Deep Purple bassist was pulling faces and throwing shapes like he was on stage at Wembley.
Therein lies the appeal of the self-styled Voice Of Rock – utter self-belief and old-fashioned, irony-free showmanship.
Hughes has had a patchy career, fetching up in one of the many Purple line-ups (“Mark 17,”
he joked), Black Sabbath and myriad collaborations.
Yet he’s never had the kudos he deserves. Blame the million dollars of coke he claims he stuffed up his nose if you like, but Hughes should have been a big star.
Thursday night showed why.
Hughes has the voice – an astonishing range, at ease on hard rock, ballads and funk – the charisma and the songwriting chops.
Backed by a tight three-piece, Hughes’s set covered his underrated 1970s power trio Trapeze, the solo years and Purple.
The latter’s songs – You Keep On Moving, Stormbringer and encore Burn – may be the best known but there were a dozen other classics too.
Hughes has another chance at the big time with retro supergroup Black Country Communion.
He deserves it.
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