In the 20 years Mick Hucknall has been performing as the front man for Simply Red, an awful lot has happened.

But Hucknall's music is still as fresh and exciting as ever. He was like an energiser bunny with a mop of orange hair on stage, bouncing around with a huge amount of verve and clearly relishing the performance.

The gig started off slowly but soon moved up tempo as he stormed through a medley of some of his hits and lesser known songs.

But the entire time he sang his heart out, stretching his rich, smooth and powerful voice to its limits but never once faltering.

It's easy to forget Hucknall is not a lone artist but the rest of Simply Red were as accomplished as he was, playing the life out of their instruments and singing as if their lives depended on it.

Indeed, many of the songs the audience were treated to have been co-written by him and the other band members.

With his image projected onto huge screens and a slick set in the background, Hucknall gave his all for the adoring crowd, with soul-inspired love lyrics and fast-moving rock and pop tracks.

For Your Babies was smooth and mellow, followed by the title track of the last album Home. Holding Back The Years gave him even more of a chance to stretch his vocal muscles, backed by a 12-piece string ensemble.

Night Nurse took on a reggae feel, followed by Stars and the superb Perfect Love, a Latino-influenced track from the latest album Simplified, which sent frissons down my neck.

Hucknall expertly wound up the tempo, carrying the crowd with him as they whooped and hollered throughout the 90-minute gig. Right Thing, with trumpet backing, was tremendous and Hucknall encored with the hits Fairground and Something Got Me Started, drawing many of the audience out of their seats.

But he slowed it down to finish, like the last dance at a disco, with If You Don't Know Me By Now, leaving the audience with huge satisfied grins on their faces.