There’s a quiet irony to Van Morrison’s entrance at the Royal Albert Hall, as the band play him on for a prosaic cover of “You Are My Sunshine”. Face obscured behind dark sunglasses and a brimmed hat, mouth fixed into a near-unwavering scowl, he looks allergic to the very idea of sunshine.
But such is the mercurial appeal of Morrison, perhaps the greatest and most confounding curmudgeon in the history of popular music. Having briefly rebranded as an anti-lockdown campaigner during the height of Covid, the 78-year-old is back touring his latest album, Accentuate the Positive, a record comprising covers of classic country and rock’n’roll songs.
