Still wailing like a banshee

Admittedly, Siouxsie's probably spent a large part of those three decades having her hair and make-up done. But at 50, and now going by just her first name, she looked colourfully resplendent and utterly indomitable.

The same can't be said for the old punks who turned out for her comeback, although they were clearly excitable, with Siouxsie chastising one fan down the front for pulling someone's hair. "Just because you haven't got any," she snapped.

She opened with two Siouxsie and the Banshees songs, Israel and Arabian Knights, and her band adroitly recreated the harsh rhythms and metallic guitar sounds.

Siouxsie's wailing vocal was as terrifying as ever, while the karate chops incorporated into her jerky dance moves looked as if they could inflict real damage.

Although her influence is considerable, it's never good to sound like bands that borrowed from you, and About To Happen - from new album MantaRay - was merely efficient electro-rock not unlike Garbage.

The rousing Here Comes That Day was better, her forceful vocal combining with the brass and string sounds in a way that suggested Siouxsie could be an inspired choice for a Bond theme.

Her torch song, If It Doesn't Kill You, didn't quite come off. But that hardly mattered once she got round to singing a declamatory Dear Prudence and the Banshees' debut single, Hong Kong Garden.

The reaction to the old songs was joyous. However, it was the powerful comeback single Into A Swan, during which she clenched a fist and threw her bird's nest of hair around, that showed Siouxsie fighting to stay relevant in her sixth decade.

Siouxsie
Astoria 2, WC2