Given the peculiar career trajectory of Beverly Glenn-Copeland, especially finding cult status when in his 70s, it’s hard to know what to expect from his show. There’s little context for an artist that wasn’t widely seen when they made their most famous album (1986’s Keyboard Fantasies) and despite now being 81, this is the iteration of his career that almost all fans all most familiar with. Although he made music in various forms for over fifty years, he was only able to tour internationally following the resurgence of interest in his work in the last decade. It isn’t remarked upon tonight, but this could very well be his first performance in Scotland, or Edinburgh at least.

This set sees him accompanied by a pianist and woodwind multi-instrumentalist, along with prominent contributions from his wife, Elizabeth Copeland. She is introduced after the first two songs (the lovely ‘Ever New’ opens the show perfectly in line with the artist’s gentle ethos) and is as much a feature of the evening as Glenn himself (as he likes to be referred to). They have an incredibly sweet rapport; embracing, dancing and serenading one another (‘Harbour’ is a particular highlight).

There’s a mix of new age ballads, musical theatre dramas and jokey ditties. One of the latter Elizabeth saw Glenn perform in a bar in Toronto many years ago leading to their meeting, a bizarre little number called ‘Greedy Feet’ which would raise eyebrows in even the kookiest bars. The other is a take on ‘Rescue Me’ with lines altered to reference Glenn’s dementia diagnosis. It speaks to their playful, childlike dynamic; unsurprising given Glenn’s long tenure as a children’s TV entertainer.

The arrangements are uniformly excellent; unimposing, but providing an appropriate canvas for Glenn’s luxuriant, rich voice. He often speaks and sings in a quiet register, but occasionally lets loose into a (comparatively) booming release that shows why his performance as much as his composition has been heralded since rediscovery. ‘Into the Circle’ [sic] from the musical of the same name demonstrates this well, along with the main set closing ‘Stand Anthem’ which marries the activism that is frequently mentioned, into a rousing call to arms in song form.

As the show goes on Elizabeth takes more of a lead, allowing a couple of rests for Glenn. She relates a moving tribute to her Scottish mother and engages in some less effective accent attempts (it turns Irish very quickly). She also reads an excerpt from her book detailing her stay at the Bay of Fundy, home to a big rock. It’s a bit of a detour, but gives a better sense of the life of the Glenn-Copelands. There’s even a ten minute or so section where the crowd joins in with the band for a bit of round singing, as well as a new song – ‘Music with No Words’ – though Elizabeth has added hers and seemingly we’ll be able to do the same when it’s released. Unclear how it differs from an instrumental song but my interest is piqued.

The exceptionally earnest style of the show could be viewed as refreshing, or a touch too saccharine depending on your tastes, but you can’t dispute that a little more positivity in the world is no bad thing. The story of Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s deserved recognition, and the opportunities it’s provided him late in life, is the stuff of musical legend. To have the chance to see him perform these thoughtful, beautiful songs is a rare and precious thing.