Bryan Ferry, Royal Albert Hall

Bryan Ferry is a truly iconic figure in British popular culture, equally well known for his sharp suits as for his louche crooning. He began his career as the frontman of the seminal art-rock band Roxy Music, where he counted a young Brian Eno among his bandmates. In their early years, the band pioneered a revolutionary synth-driven sound, at once sleazy and majestic. In their later years, they wrote some of the most memorable and wilfully kitsch ballads of all time: Avalon and More Than This are particular highlights.

Even while Roxy Music were active, Ferry spent much of his time recording as a solo artist. In the 1970s much of his solo output consisted of cover versions; he famously recorded tracks by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Later in his career, Ferry began to work on his own compositions, most memorably on Boys and Girls, surely one of the definitive albums of the 1980s, complete with reverb-heavy production and gratuitous saxophone parts.

Ferry remains musically active well into his 60s. His most recent release was The Jazz Age, a rather peculiar project which saw him reworking his songs in jazz style. He is to follow it up with Avonmore, his fifteenth solo release, in November 2014. He will play in support of this album on 1 June 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall. Fans should make sure to book soon as tickets are bound to sell fast.