The “op-pop” quartet Il Divo has more cheese than a bacon and brie sandwich.

Yet their outstanding concert and full house at the Brighton Centre showed their loyal legion of women fans are still with them, ten years after Simon Cowell burst them on to the scene.

It was mostly women in the audience, with the odd husband or boyfriend reluctantly in tow.

Carlos, Urs, Sebastian and David delighted them with their singing as they smoothed their way through a big selection of famous and brilliant tunes from musicals on their new album A Musical Affair.

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina cried out for a contrasting female voice, as did Abba’s The Winner Takes It All, sung in Spanish. But, powered by the rich baritone of Carlos, the band did great credit to songs like The Impossible Dream and If Ever I Would Leave You, milking their marvellous melodies and clever lyrics.

Show singer Lea Salonga matched them for power and range in Can You Feel The Love Tonight and a touching performance of Memory from Cats.

Time To Say Goodbye, again featuring Lea, was an obvious encore closer to an evening made even more enjoyable by the superb backing of the Heart Of England Philharmonic.