When Leonard Cohen’s former manager, Kelley Lynch, syphoned off his multi-million pound retirement fund, little did she know she was doing fans of the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter a favour.

Even though Cohen won a civil suit against her, Lynch never repaid the money, forcing him to head out on the road for the first time in 15 years.

Beginning in May last year, he is in the midst of a critically acclaimed world tour and his next stop is at Mercedes Benz World, in Weybridge, on Saturday.

Dressed like a New York mobster but firing off well-rehearsed one-liners rather than bullets, Cohen has been rolling out the hits from every era of his remarkable career, from his early folk-inspired tunes to the 80s synth-backed numbers.

And an advance in years has increased the crack in his singular baritone, simply adding to his charm.

Perhaps this will best be seen in his reading of his most well-known song, Hajellujah, a tune that has become synonomous with The X Factor and Jeff Buckley. Cohen has been doing a glorious job of reclaiming it although, as he told the New York Times recently, he doesn’t neccesarily see it that way.

“My sense of ownership with these things is very weak,” he said. “It is not the result of spiritual discipline, it has always been that way.

“My proprietorship has been so weak, I didn’t pay attention and lost the copyrights on a lot of my songs.”

Cohen, who will be backed by the vocal talents of with long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sisters, has in the past been dismissed as miserablist. However, the best thing about his return to the stage has been that he has revealed to the world what his fans have known along, that he is a performer of many guises – the ladies’ man, poet, romantic and comedian – and he’ll be your man on Saturday.

Leonard Cohen, with Suzanne Vega, Mercedes aBenz World, Brooklands, Weybridge, July 11, £65/£55, call 0844 847 2496, visit mercedes-benz.co.uk