Leonard Cohen wows fans in UK comeback

Considering the 'master of misery' Leonard Cohen is only back on the road at the age of 73 because his manager recently made off with £5m from his retirement fund, the Montrealer was in surprisingly good mood when he hit Manchester on Tuesday night for the first of four nights at the city's Opera House - his first UK concert in 15 years.

Looking dapper in a double-breasted suit and fedora, Cohen was greeted with a standing ovation before he had even sung a word. Given that he once said that his records should come with free razor blades, some of the audience seemed surprised he hadn't composed a song about his financial woes. In fact, he even cracked a joke (of sorts), saying: "It's been 15 years since I stood up on the stage. Fifteen years ago when I was 60 - a young kid with a crazy dream - then I took a lot of Prozac." Then he reeled off the names of other prescription mood-enhancers he had taken over the years, adding: "I studied all the religions of the world too, but cheerfulness kept breaking through."

The Manchester concert won him the type of plaudits he first achieved in his 1960s heyday. Both the Guardian and the Independent awarded five stars, while the Telegraph said that Cohen had "the audience in his grip for the best part of three hours". He ended aptly with his song, I Tried to Leave You: "Goodnight, my darling/I hope you're satisfied/Here's a man still working for a smile".