Picture this.

It's cold. Very cold. You're in a disused bathroom showroom with virtually no heating. On a Thursday. In Watford. A no-brainer, no-go area for the culture-vulture? Ordinarily, yes of course.

But cool your heels... for something is afoot.

Entering the front door and ascending the ramp into the shop, what's all this? Among the mosaic tiles, chrome wall taps and manufacturers' placards betraying the legacy of this space, there are stalls with a varied selection of artwork, ceramics, clothes, books, digital art etc., and an area set up with mic stands and amps.

This was the site for an indie-folk set from a local group, Ocelot, who purveyed a textured, interesting set of original compositions, providing a buzz to transform the unpromising environs into a scene set for a quite remarkable headline solo set.

Step forward Viv Albertine, once of the seminal punk banshee whirlwind that was The Slits, and before that a member of the greatest group that never was, the Flowers Of Romance feat. Keith Levene, Sid Vicious and Joe Strummer, no less.

Viv's set was quite amazing, composed mainly of numbers from her out-now Flesh EP, and a couple of others that showed her work-in-progress album will be well worth getting hold of too.

Armed with a mic, a careworn Telecaster, and not least with a shimmering and incredibly engaging presence, Viv captivated the appreciative gathering with her songs, attitude, and between-songs talk - all delivered with the kind of self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek confidence and bravura that helped epitomised the punk spirit and by extension The Slits.

While she had not played any music for 25 years until two years ago, she is now back with a knowing vengeance. Not for one minute as a Slits-lite punk tribute - far from it. This material is strictly 2011-friendly, while still retaining an edge.

Original, angular guitar work combine with uncompromising but not pious lyrics, baring Viv's personal journey - past present and future. Songs such as I Don't Believe In Love and Never Come explain break-ups and stop-start relationships but with no trace of self-pity, and a real twinkle of humour. The set was around 30 minutes and closed far too quickly.

Viv happily signed and chatted afterward, and was just so open and friendly, it was just great to have met her and compliment her on the set.

So, the next time you get an invite to Watford - to a disused bathroom showroom - on a cold Thursday night - don't turn it down too quickly, OK!?

Kevin O'Brien