The Shadows

A buzz of expectancy could be felt throughout the auditorium as the audience waited for the lights to go down. Nearly 14 years after they last appeared on the stage together, The Shadows, Britain's most successful instrumental group of all time, were back to say farewell in style at two sell-out concerts in the city over the weekend.

The legendary Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett are back together again for one last time, touring the UK for 37 dates, along with Cliff Hall on keyboards and Mark Griffiths on bass guitar.

It was in 1960 that The Shadows first recorded Apache, the track that was to become the instrumental hit of the decade. It shot to number one – becoming an instant classic – and saw the start of a string of more than 30 hits, including another four chart toppers – Wonderful Land, Kon-Tiki, Dance On and Foot Tapper.

And in a night of pure unadulterated nostalgia, the hits came fast and furious – Man of Mystery, The Frightened City, FBI, Atlantis, Geronimo and, of course, their five number ones among them.

They also paid homage to their days with Cliff Richard through a medley of songs from the era and Brian Bennett's drum solo, complemented by a spectacular light show, had people on their feet cheering.

Light bantering, that famous Shadows walk, haunting melodies and a fantastic light show climaxed with the number that everyone had been waiting for – Apache. And at the end everyone was on their feet whistling, cheering and applauding. Definitely a night to remember.