Opening a concert of your first tour in four years with a song from a new album is a brave step.

Then again, true to the title of the song he chose, Will Young is a brave man.

From this performance you would not know it was 13 years since he won Pop Idol, or that he was ever the product of a talent contest.

It was not a limp, half-baked comeback just to rake in the money. It was a slick, heartfelt, performance which showed his voice at its best.

Diehard fans missed a couple of classics but there was the right mix of favourite hits and new – and I might add good – songs.

His arrival on stage was intense as he battled moving objects, amid strobe lighting, encased in a slightly bewildering plastic maze.

It was odd, but the concept turned out to be quite clever and complemented his haunting vocal.

There was no time to get too melancholy though. Within 20 minutes he had everyone on their feet to Switch It On and Your Game. The funk style of some of his new tracks did not go down too badly either.

On stage he was a self-assured, smooth mover in a black, sleeveless jumpsuit.

The packed crowd loved his willingness to joke around. The entire act was part sing-a-long, part comedy show with appearances of his hallmark cheeky smile. Young was blessed with truly talented backing singers and a great live band

Lemar was a good choice of warm-up act, although he really should keep his hits for his final songs.

Four stars