The legendary Leonard Cohen will visit the Hunter Valley in his first Australian concert tour in almost a quarter of a century.

Australia’s own poet, singer/songwriter Paul Kelly will join him as special guest in the January 31 gig.

Promoter Michael Gudinski said the Leonard Cohen concert is a must-see for any self-respecting music lover.

“The Leonard Cohen concert I saw last month was almost a religious experience,” Mr Gudinski said.

“Fans were captivated the moment Leonard walked onto the stage. His band and backing vocals are first class and the man himself can only be described as magical. It’s one of the few concerts that I’ve seen that has kept me in one spot from start to finish – not wanting to miss a moment of what ended up being more than three hours of musical genius.”

A celebrated poet, author and hypnotic performer Leonard Cohen is the writer behind such timeless classics as Hallelujah, Suzanne, Bird on a Wire, Sisters of Mercy, First We Take Manhattan and Everybody Knows.

His impact on modern popular music has been widespread and profound with artists including Bono and Nick Cave citing Cohen as a major influence on their work.

Cohen’s songs have also been covered by generations of artists including REM, Elton John, Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.

Tickets go on sale Monday, November 10.