MARIANNE FAITHFULL, at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

MARIANNE Faithfull has survived many things in her time - heroin abuse, suicide attempts and a salacious urban myth involving a certain chocolate bar.

But this '60s survivor proved emphatically she had come through it all smiling.

Indeed, her wonderful, throaty delivery - fuelled by a combination of cigarettes and herbal tea -never sounded better.

For a singer who has lived in the shadow of the Rolling Stones, as well as a purple haze of real and imaginary excess, Marianne has come through with a surprisingly high-quality repertoire. The set opened with Broken English and Vagabond Ways, the title track from her new album, and ended, predictably but satisfyingly, with an encore including As Tears Go By and her timeless classic The Eyes of Lucy Jordan.

A small but enthusiastic crowd were eager to be transported back to the heady days of "good dope and poor wine" - as one of her song lyrics put it - but it was a disappointing turnout for such a living legend.

In the somewhat incongruous setting of this mainly classical venue, 52-year-old Marianne still managed to bring a warmth to the proceedings, delighting between drags and copious swigs of tea, with her smile, wit and still considerable glamour.

True, she did walk a fine line between faded sex goddess and embarrassing raunchy auntie but, with a tight, four-piece band behind her, she can still belt it out with the best.

Like the Stones, she said, she intends to keep on rocking for many years to come.

And she makes her first appearance at Glastonbury this weekend.

MARK WOODHOUSE

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