THE music of George Ezra is a little bit of a sunshine, a perfect escape for vitamin D-starved North-Easterners.

Every track seems to be inspired by some foreign escapade and the sun-soaked melodies, paired with Ezra’s distinctively deep bass-baritone make for a compelling combination.

He was playing at the Utilita Arena, in Newcastle, on Thursday at the start of his month-long UK tour.

Faced with his sun-soaked music and Ezra’s easy-going style it’s hard not to have fun.

His fans loved him. Underwear was thrown, at least one marriage proposal was made and Ezra’s laughed his way through the night, urging us all to join the party he seems to have started half way across the world.

His set featured tracks from both his debut album Wanted on Voyage and the follow-up Staying at Tamara’s.

Ezra’s signature style is relaxed and it was the likes of songs Paradise, with its catchy melody, laid back Barcelona and Budapest that had the crowd on its feet.

More than happy to share the stories behind his music, he built his rapport with fans (and inspired a degree of wanderlust) by talking us through afternoons sitting in the parks of Barcelona, drinking rum at Eurovision parties in Sweden and coming up with his Paradise melody while feeling like death on a bus on the west coast of America.

The backdrop of vibrant stained glass-esque graphics of far-off destinations and bright coloured set the scene, while giant lanterns floating over the sell-out crowd during the more romantic track Hold My Girl added to the festival-feel of the evening.

From a big opener of Don’t Matter Now to rounding off the night with Shot Gun, his only UK number one single to date, the whole show was performed with the charm and jollity that his music seems to be infused with.

Earlier in the evening we had a performance by support act Sigrid, the latest Scandi singer to be making waves internationally.

The 22-year-old Norwegian, notable for her vocal range and her pop-synth combination, has won a whole host of newcomer awards and last year was named as BBC’s sound of 2018.

Dressed in a pair of jeans, converse and a baggy white t-shirt, dancing about the stage, she looked like she was having a whale of a time.

Her enthusiasm for the performance was infectiously endearing and the show set the tone for a youthful, fun-filled night.

As she proudly announced, the gig was on the eve of the release of her debut album, Sucker Punch, and she wanted us to have as much of a good time as she was.

Refreshingly clean-cut, Sigrid’s love for music and putting on a show definitely shone through.

Don’t Kill My Vibe – her breakout song that shot Sigrid to fame in 2017 – was performed with particular relish, though every song was played with a flourish.