Simply Red farewell is a sell-out success

Pop legends Simply Red delighted fans from across the Midlands for a sell-out show with a summer party atmosphere.

Mick Hucknall and friends played to a crowd of around 5,250 at the Birches Valley Forest Centre on Cannock Chase last night.

Organisers the Forestry Commission had promised a night to remember, and spectators who turned out to catch a glimpse of the iconic frontman at one of the band's last-ever dates were not disappointed.

Indie heroes Keane are due to play at the site tonight - the second of this weekend's sell-out shows.

One of the first eager fans through the gates last night was Pam Bundonis, aged 60, of Dartmouth Road, Cannock.

She said: "This is the first time I've been to one of these shows and I think it's a fantastic venue. There's nothing like an outside venue for a concert - and we couldn't have asked for better weather."

One of the more high profile fans at last night's show was Cannock's Tory MP Aidan Burley, who bought tickets for his mother Lois as a Christmas present.

He joked: "I bought my tickets before the election, so this could have been a last hurrah. Instead, it's one of my first events as the local MP. I'm delighted."

The support act, American singer-songwriter Diane Birch, started things of in a relaxed fashion, with a stripped-down set of folk rock. But the thoroughly chilled-out crowd gave the headliners a heady cheer when they came on stage just after 8.40pm.

They may have come armed with fold-up chairs and picnic sets, but Mick and the boys soon got the audience into the party spirit and had them baying for more.

After the show, site manager Alastair Semple said: "It was sensational. The atmosphere was electric."