THE Bewdley-born boogie boy may stick to the tried and trusted but you’ve got to admit that the music hits the spot every time.

After all, if it ain’t bust, then why mend it? To be sure, the set list does vary slightly from year to year, but one thing never changes and that’s the relentless four-four figures that latch on to the body’s heartbeat and make you want to “shake that thing” as this Worcestershire wizard of the keyboard might say.

Legend has it that Mike was a bit of a hard case at school, perhaps a defence mechanism in an environment that couldn’t cope with anyone who was set apart from the rest. Be that as it may, Mike’s persona is now that of an Afro-American jive cat of the early 1950s. His suits, mannerisms and lounge lizard leer all shout Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner and James P Johnson, loud and clear through the smoke and noise of a Kansas City juke joint.

Except this was Worcester of course, but if you shut your eyes it did seem as if this is what it might have felt like in a period wrong-side-of-the-tracks dive.

His sidesman are also mainly Midlands rhythm and blues experts and they have that eye for retro details that sadly goes right over the heads of those who think that the blues was invented by Eric Clapton in 1964.

It may not be the actual real thing but believe me it cannot get any closer than this. A brilliant show by one of this county’s great musical characters.