WE’RE big Billy Joel fans in the Newton household. When Daughter was sitting her GCSEs earlier this year, we would travel to school listening to River of Dreams; her number one stream on YouTube Music is We Didn’t Start the Fire.

So when we saw the Billy Joel Tribute UK was coming to St Austell, we were first in the queue for tickets. One can never be sure of the calibre of such acts, but this one was back by popular demand and the Keay Theatre was full, which augured well.

I’d expected a guy with a piano singing decent-enough covers, so when “Billy” appeared sporting a dubious wig and a “New Yoik” accent, I was slightly perturbed. Would this be a cringeworthy impersonation of the great man?

I needn’t have worried. Once I suspended my disbelief and leant into it, it was huge fun. Billy (real name Gaz) had us all eating out of his hand, being not only a great singer and pianist, but also a seasoned entertainer with cruise liners and holiday camps on his CV.

This is borne out by his easy patter and quick wit – a dad gag here, a comedy Geordie twang there, a gentle joke at the expense of an audience member on his way to the loo, and even an affectionate jab at Snozzle itself. When he fluffed the intro to An Innocent Man, he quipped: “It’s only my job - two thirds of An Innocent Man, there you go,” and was quickly forgiven - except by Daughter, who is a hard taskmaster (and it’s her second favourite song).

She was undeniably won over, though, leaning over a couple of songs in to say: “This is SO good!” Of course, it helped that Billy was surrounded by a top-notch band, including goateed guitarist Sam Lees and multi-saxophonist Kerry Williams, two weeks a dad and dragged away from paternity leave for our benefit. They performed numerous theatrical solos front of stage, and were applauded loudly for it.

We were treated to a wide selection of Joel’s best-known tracks, from Piano Man to New York State of Mind via Just the Way You Are. There were also a few surprises: I find Vietnam War ballad Goodnight Saigon extremely moving, but didn’t expect to hear such a downbeat number in a feel-good show (I’m not complaining – it was perfectly executed). As for The Longest Time, the close harmonies were accomplished to the point of brilliant.

A shout-out to whoever designed the absorbing background graphics, which were the ideal compliment to Joel’s lyrics, absorbing almost to the point of distracting one’s attention from the music. These were especially effective when telling the story of Brenda and Eddie in Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.

By the end, we were all on our feet for the predictable encores – they were never going to end the show without playing Uptown Girl, after all. Daughter, probably the youngest person there but by no means the only person under the age of 50, let out a little scream when opening chords to We Didn’t Start the Fire struck up. She’s since added a few tracks to her YouTube stream, including 1980 rock ‘n’ roller You May Be Right.

The Billy Joel Tribute UK returns to St Austell next year to celebrate the half-century of Joel’s seminal album The Stranger. I suspect we’ll be there, three-line whip. Judging by the standing ovation, I think we’d better book our tickets now.