This hastily arranged John Peel tribute has, appropriately, the shambolic but spirited feel of the late DJ's programme. Following I Am Kloot and an acoustic Nine Black Alps, the "headline act" arrives without a sound check or rehearsal. It's been a long time since Badly Drawn Boy - aka Damon Gough - did a gig this small. Venues like this can be a great leveller. However, backed by bass, drums and flute, occasionally just his own guitar and trademark scruffy hat, Gough's 40-minute appearance explains why Peel championed his extraordinary talent. Gough's gifts have always sat unsteadily on those unkempt shoulders. "This reached number 12 in Peel's Festive 50," he says, bewildered, introducing the rarely played I Need a Sign as "crap". But he no longer fools around drunkenly onstage because he doesn't have the confidence to perform straight. This is as direct and heartfelt a performance as he's given.

Oldies are delivered with a twist (The Shining segues into the Lotus Eaters' The First Picture Of You), but a nostalgia-phobe like Peel would have delighted in the glut of new material. It's more soulful than anything Gough's done before, with nods to Motown and Isaac Hayes, with themes of absolute love and untimely death. The line "the sun is shining, the leaves are falling, you're not around", was almost certainly not written about Peel, but as Gough softly sings it the gulps in the audience are audible.

In a week where celebs who never actually listened to the Peeler have offered "heartfelt tributes", Gough's mourning is obviously genuine. He vividly remembers where he was when he was told about the DJ's death. "Standing outside a shithole venue in Houston, I was depressed enough already." He compares the moment to being "like Kennedy". Moments later, he sits at a tiny keyboard to deliver an exquisite, emotional Silent Sigh.

"Peel probably hated this song," he shrugs, typically, as an entire audience unite to disagree.