His last forays in Scotland were billed as "very special up close acoustic shows".

Just nine months ago at Oran Mor in Glasgow it was the familiar 80s synth pop star his piano and a captive, seated Oran Mor audience.

But to get the full Howard Jones experience, the full band option, with those synth hooks in all their glory intact was always going to be the best option. Done right.

Glasgow Times:

Four days earlier synth pop contemporaries Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark showed how it is done at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall between the technical interruptions by just leaving well alone.

The band, who like Jones were seen almost as outsiders in the early forays of synth pop, played a mixture of old and new with little deviation to what you would hear from mp3, and all was well.

For Jones, an 80s icon and one of the forefathers of synth, in theory a full electric set with a new band would show off his big songs the way they should sound.

Glasgow Times:

From the start it seemed most of the audience was in intimate mode; appreciative and perhaps internalising any wild enthusiasm.

The seats cannot help, with the threat of a confrontation if standing up and blocking someone's view.

His opening song, the top ten hit Like To Get To Know You Well sounds fine, faithful to the recorded version but the audience is still to get warmed up.

Jones in the 80s with his wild blonde hair and bright baggy clothes, while benefiting from the emergence of MTV, was never hip and cool, and a references that he doesn't want to be, is a feature of one of his signature songs New Song. He was never the music press darling.

Glasgow Times:

Howard Jones then

So approaching guitarist Robin Boult at the start of one of his newer songs The Prisoner saying "we can rock it too", is an awkward moment for someone bothered how they appear, but perfectly fine for a singer-songwriter who really does not care.

He is one of a select band whose debut albums reached number one in the album charts.

Human's Lib, with it's simple pop hooks, wide-eyed hopeful outlook and biting old-school synths is an undoubted classic and has been hard to better. Things start to warm up in the second half of his set with the soaring ballad Hide and Seek, which he says is his favourite song, featuring in his 1985 Live Aid stint.

"I am trying to bring back the key-tar [he is sporting Korg synth-come-guitar round his neck] as the premier instrument for rock 'n' roll people in the world," says Jones. "It's had it bad for a long time, but I am taking part in its rehabilitation. And all the keyboard players out there tonight, you really need to have one of these. It liberates you.

Glasgow Times:

"Get the ones with the little keys like this, because if you get the big ones it looks like you're walking around with a Steinway Grand round your neck."

Suddenly those in seats are standing and singing and so begins this gig's renaissance, with the opening synth chime hook that starts one of his greatest songs the worldwide hit from Human's Lib, What Is Love? It is an awakening.

Before anyone has time to draw breath Jones despatches a knockout blow. The song, without which he says he probably would not be here, New Song.

"The story is, I was touring the UK for the very first time in 1983, it was that long ago. It was my first national tour with China Crisis, they kindly agreed to have me along on their tour, it was all going really well.

"The single was rocketing into the chart at number 106 and climbing two places every week. It was really precarious. It took three months to get to number three in the end. We could have lost it at any moment, and we may not be here if it had.

Glasgow Times:

"We get to Glasgow. It was the most incredible reception I got in the whole tour. It was like, honestly, I kid you not, it gave me so much confidence. So I will always be grateful to you for that.

"Just a few months before I was working in a factory in High Wycombe and I was rolling clingfilm every day putting little holes in it so that you could rip those pieces off and wrap your sandwiches in it."

Then before he disappears Jones even throws in a surprise; a jawdropping one. It's a version of his big hit Things Can Only Get Better that switches into the kind of Ibiza club remix, drops included, that Calvin Harris might have helped out on. They didn't get this at Oran Mor.

The forty-and-fifty-somethings are definitely not sitting. They might actually be dancing.

"I just wanted to be doing music, I wanted to make records, I didn't particularly want to be famous," he tells the crowd. "That [being famous] was a bit of a surprise. I ended up being medium famous. In the middle there somewhere.

"Honestly, that's the best place to be. Then you don't get chased around by tabloids and stuff like that. You don't get hassled. You can just get on and play music to you beautiful people."