THE revered queen of UK soul played to all ages in a packed Hall One and most were on their feet immediately. Some never sat down.

Southern Freeze, the first number from new album Soul UK, came after a couple of familiar introductory numbers which stoked up the atmosphere.

The great thing about the show was that it stirred memories for older members of the audience, with classics such as The Young Disciples’ Apparently Nothing and the 1977 Heatwave smash Always and Forever, which certainly bought back memories for my sister and me.

As the singer made a few costume changes, her backing band and singers kept the crowd entertained and on their feet.

Among the hits she performed were early single Flavour of the Old School, Gold and Shoulda Woulda Coulda.

But when she kicked in with Keep This Fire Burning, even she was reduced to tears. On Twitter later she admitted that the night had left her emotional.

She ended with the Roachford hit Cuddly Toy and murmurs in the audience of how brilliant Beverley Knight was.

You could see from this concert why she holds the crown as queen of UK soul.