Nine years ago, Mark Knopfler took a break from the rigours of life as the superstar leader of Dire Straits, and recorded a set of favourite old songs, mostly from the pre-rock'n' roll era, with a group of old friends, one of whom was his manager. The Notting Hillbillies have never made another album (apart from the batch of bootlegs that appear every time they perform), but their odd, erratic career has continued to flourish. Dire Straits are gone and Knopfler has begun to work as a soloist, but the Hillbillies are still with us - or with those of us who manage to squeeze into one of their occasional, low-key shows.

Last year they played a residency at Ronnie Scott's, and enjoyed themselves so much that they are back there for another late-night stint this week. It's an odd affair, a bit like an old boys' reunion at which everyone is pretending to be less successful than they really are. Knopfler is centre stage, wearing a dark suit and white shirt (but soon has the jacket discarded and the shirt open to the waist). On one side of him, hiding behind an ever-expanding moustache, is the bluesman and guitar-maker Steve Phillips, with whom Knopfler once performed as the Dolian String Pickers, back in Leeds in the late 60s. On the other side, dressed in a tartan suit, is the exuberant Brendan Croker, the guitarist singer-songwriter who also worked with Phillips. Then there's Guy Fletcher, keyboard player with Dire Straits, and, at the back, Ed Bicknell, celebrated in the music business as the Straits' manager, but once the drummer for Jess Conrad.

There's plenty of banter (mostly from Croker) but Knopfler watches everyone to make sure they don't miss a beat: this is a perfectionist having fun. They amble on stage just after closing time, and keep going until 2am, by which time they've played everything from folk-blues to country, western swing and rockabilly, from Lonnie Johnson to Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley. Much of the material is from that one album, but what's impressive is the guitar interplay from the three front-men, and the fact that all are versatile, powerful singers, switching from harmony work on the slinky gospel piece Denomination Blues to Croker's soulful Feel Like Going Home. On this outing they are helped by two brass players, and the inspired country fiddler Bobby Valentino.

This may be a democratic band, sharing vocals and solos, but Knopfler is still the star, and what makes a Hillbillies performance exceptional is the moments when he suddenly dresses up a country weepie with a fluid, aching guitar line or breaks out with an exhilarating, rapid-fire solo. He scatters the set with his own songs, from Are We In Trouble Now and Your Own Sweet Way to Calling Elvis, which, dressed up with a Bo Diddely beat, was used as the starting point for one of the night's great guitar solos. Most bands this good would have recorded a batch of albums by now, but I'll be happy to make do with a bootleg of this show.

Till Saturday. Box-office: 0171-439 0747.