Saturday, the Reading Festival 1999. I've gone with my 16 year old cousin, basically there to look after her on her first festival experience although I'm very keen to see Blur and catch a few other bands on the bill. It's early evening. "And now for a special guest, please give a warm welcome to the legendary Kevin Rowland" bellows the PA. I have fear - I've seen the photos! My fear is confounded when Rowland appears on stage wearing a dress with two scantily clad ladies and performs karaoke covers of three songs including The Greatest Love Of All. The mostly early 20s crowd surely don't know that this is one of the most idiosyncratic performers of the 80s making a comeback after drug addiction and breakdowns and inevitably bottles begin to be lobbed at the stage - though just lobbed and all plastic ( the recent reports of those who weren't there saying that Kevin was bottled off have got it wrong). Rowland finishes his allotted three songs to some applause and I'm relieved he has just about got though the gig and that it's all over. Time to wait now for Catatonia...

Four years later and a fully recovered Rowland has done what was then unthinkable and reformed Dexys Midnight Runners though Kevin prefers the word re-grouping and this is probably apt as the "reformed" band only includes two or three former members. There's warm applause for him as he takes to the stage in a long cape and suit. The show that follows isn't perfect but it's a minor miracle that he's back on stage at all - and one we should be very thankful for.

In recent interviews Rowland promised that the new show would be theatrical and not just a greatest hits set. He was true to his word and only included versions of two of Dexys big hit singles - an excellent Geno and not so convincing, extended Come On Eileen. He also included another hit, the bland Because Of You as an encore as well as a cover of The Commodores' Nightshift - two low points in the set and I would have much preferred Jackie Wilson Said, The Celtic Soul Brothers or some of their other 80s classics.

Set list moaning aside, most of the rest of the music was excellent and the band was superb. Rowland has assembled a fantastic band including violin and trombone alongside the more usual guitar bass, drums and keyboards. All musicians were excellent though special mention should be made of former Dexys and Style Council man Mick Talbot on keyboards who was also tonight's musical director and Pete Williams, a former non singing Dexys bassist who has been promoted as second vocalist and was a superb vocal and visual foil to Kevin. Rowland is still an excellent singer with a highly distinctive voice but Williams sang the harmonies and reached the notes that Kevin can no longer quite reach.

The set mostly included revamped versions of track from Dexys three highly rated, very distinct 80s albums - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (1980), Too-Rye-Ay (1982) and Don't Stand Me Down (1985) - with particular emphasis on the last album, considered commercial suicide on its release though now regarded as a lost 80s classic. The new versions were generally more jazzy, tasteful and sober than the originals - I would have preferred a bit more oomph but appreciate that times have changed and Rowland and the band were being true to their middle age. There still were some uptempo moments though in Geno, my favourite track of the evening Lets Make This Precious and an extended version of Don't Stand Me Down's centrepiece This Is What She's Like.

All in all an excellent comeback by an 80s legend and one that looked nigh on impossible that evening in Reading four years ago...