She doesn't play Bermuda very often but when she does it is always worth the wait. Heather Nova wowed the crowd in difficult circumstances at the Southampton Princess on Friday night.

No one would pick the Mid-Ocean Amphitheatre as the ideal venue for a rock concert, with its seats set back from the stage and scattered around in a loose atmosphereless arc.

The light show was dismal and some of the elderly patrons in the front rows looked on with a grim determination which seemed to indicate that the Bermuda Festival was getting a bit too eclectic for their tastes but they were determined to take in every show.

But most of them seemed to be won over by the end and it is not difficult to see why.

Ms Nova has an utterly entrancing voice which in nano-seconds is able to drill right into your central nervous system and light up the nerve endings marked 'pleasure' and 'feeling'.

Some singers take ages to get you there she has you from the off. Her trademark is the thrilling but drastic gear change. One moment she is cruising along in the slow lane, the next she is soaring and the audience is riding in her slipstream.

The show began in an understated style with the band sauntering in during the opener to join her.

They provided able support throughout, working for the common good. No glamour or rock star egos here.

Female lead guitarist Berit Fridahl swapped her low-slung Gibson Les Paul for maracas at one point not something most of her male counterparts would be seen dead doing.

Bassist Bastian Juel seemed to be in a trance as he weighed in with tasteful harmony vocals.

'Heart and Shoulder' was an early highlight, with the Nova vocals in full flow.

'Walk this World' was simply sublime as the audience shook loose some of their inhibitions and clapped along.

The band departed for an acoustic set as Ms Nova debuted some of her songs off her recent release, ,Jasmine Flower', recorded in Bermuda.

'Maybe Tomorrow' was exquisite, but there was more to come.

The finale hit all the buttons as the band returned and stretched out perhaps never bettered by the wonderful 'London Rain'.

'Like Lovers Do' rounded off the set, only to bring the audience to its feet to noisily demand an encore which was duly obliged.

And then Bermuda's 'Super Nova' was off into the night.

Supernovas are spectacular to see but happen very rarely let's hope now Heather is back living here after years in European exile, we don't have to wait so long to see her again.