Take That’s frontman has become a ubiquitous presence in recent years, what with X-Factor judging positions here and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee songwriting gigs there.
But Gary Barlow – who can’t be too far away from a knighthood from Her Majesty – evidently still feels a need to reintroduce himself musically, given his decision to name his latest solo album Since I Saw You Last.
Despite the fact that Britain has been inundated with the work of the 43-year-old since Take That’s spectacularly-successful 2006 comeback, the enthusiastic reception he received at the LG Arena suggested that his devoted fanbase had been anticipating this very moment since the release of his last record back in 1999.
And as he launched into opener ‘Since I Saw You Last’, the joyous screams that erupted from the female-dominated audience set a precedent for the remainder of the evening.
Split into four instrumental segments (from swing to acoustic, which each had varying levels of success) that were helmed by his nine-piece backing band, the set typified the nature of Barlow’s craft by aiming to cater for all tastes.
There was material from the new album – the Paul McCartney-esque ‘Requiem’ and the Elton John (sadly absent tonight)-duetting ‘Face To Face’ – an actual duet with support act Eliza Doolittle on the uplifting ‘Shine’, and even a jaunty cover of his on-again-off-again pal Robbie Williams’ ‘Candy’.
And of course, there was an abundance of Take That classics. ‘Back For Good’, ‘Relight My Fire’, ‘Rule The World’ sent the crowd into nostalgic raptures; all particularly pertinent titles when applied to Barlow’s present career trajectory.
A thoroughly satisfactory evening’s work, then, for one of Britain’s most accomplished contemporary pop songwriters. And you can be rest assured that there won’t be such a long gap until the next time he visits our city - he returns on Saturday April 18 to take over the LG Arena once again.
