Merry Xmas Everybody The Victoria Hall

GIVEN the title, I was sure the Victoria Hall would either be full of over-the-top festive decor and fake snow, or lots of middle-aged people wearing platform shoes who hadn't changed their hairstyles since 1979.

One would have been expected; both might have been a bit much, but to find neither was quite disappointing.

The first act, Mud II, did at least attempt to add a bit of festive fun to the proceedings, albeit only by donning Santa hats to sing that cheery yuletide anthem, Lonely This Christmas.

The group, which features original fifth Mud member Syd Twynham alongside more recent additions, got the audience on its feet with their rendition of Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell.

And many kept dancing until the closing bars of Mud's best known track, Tiger Feet.

Given the advanced age of some of the audience, I was a bit concerned that dancing might be a bit strenuous.

But I needn't have worried, as even the older fans showed they are still far more hip than hip replacement.

One enthusiastic gentleman even brandished his wooden cane like a guitar, which he strummed furiously.

In true rock 'n' roll style, Twynham paused to protest against injustice.

However, bemoaning the fact that he can no longer lob tambourines into the crowd, due to health and safety regulations, didn't quite evoke the spirit of social rebellion which spawned glam rock.

The second act, T-Rextasy, were a massive hit with the audience, opening with the crowd-pleasing 20th Century Boy, followed by Get It On and just about every other T-Rex anthem they could squeeze into the modest hour-long set.

With a note-perfect performance, T-Rextasy showed why they are in a class of their own.

It was a difficult act to top, but headliners Slade seemed to manage without any trouble.

The band's current incarnation may lack Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, but guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell clearly haven't forgotten their way around their old hits.

And Slade did at least end the show on a festive note, with the concert's title song.

The only thing more pleasing was the fact that Dave Hill has retained the same disturbing trademark hairstyle he sported in his heyday.

Iain Robinson