A glorious, mischievous British pop institution, but a little past its peak, Park Lane's famous Met Bar was in so many ways an appropriate choice of venue for Boy George's relaunch as a recording artist.

And as he showcased his forthcoming single, a duet with white-hot singer-songwriter Amanda Ghost, George showed that despite everything, like the bar itself, he still has a touch of the old magic.

As well as being a well regarded performer in the States, London-born Ghost is in huge demand there as a songwriter, having earned two Ivor Novello awards as well as the slightly dubious honour of penning James Blunt's monster hit, Beautiful. Beyoncé and Janet Jackson are among her current clients, and last night's event was a showcase for the new material on her own label, Plan A Records.

With striking features and an air of understandable confidence, Ghost introduced the night's show. She declared that she had done "many things" in the Met Bar, "some of them legal, some of them not" - a statement in keeping with the bar's colourful history, although with two bottles of beer costing £11.25, the only people to attempt a serious drinking session there now must either be wealthy or already drunk.

Her new signing, Scott McFarnon, took to the tiny stage, showing off an extraordinary, effortless falsetto that blended well with his intricate, folky acoustic guitar work.

An industry crowd who have not paid often prove challenging, and so it was for McFarnon, who had to endure about 30 per cent of the crowd talking loudly throughout a sensitive and rather beautiful set. Ghost herself fared rather better, attracting the crowd's full attention and applause with her passionate, smoky vocals and solid, ballsy melodies.

The audience, however, had come to see one man, and one man alone. A successful career as a DJ notwithstanding, Boy George hasn't released a record in eight years, but his uncanny talent for making headlines remains as strong as ever. His recent community service as a New York street sweeper was a punishment for wasting police time, an accusation of cocaine possession having been dropped.

Humiliating though his rubbish removal duties may have been, they have put him back in the public eye, and he was clearly relishing every moment of it as he took to the stage to capitalise on his notoriety. Looking fitter, happier and healthier than he has for some time, he sported an outlandish hat bearing the words "Ich bin Kunst" - I Am Art - a catchphrase of Eighties artist Leigh Bowery.

As he joined Ghost to perform the new single, a dark, epic track entitled Time Machine, it was obvious that while George had lost some of his vocal range, his uniquely delicate and melancholy voice is intact. It was a song George could get his teeth into, the soaring chorus giving him the perfect chance to inject some real soul into proceedings.

The track sounded very much like a hit, and its lyrics, which hark back to a golden age when everything was easier, suggest that Boy George the roadsweeper is gone forever and that Boy George the pop star is well and truly back.