CHITTY Chitty Bang Bang sung to the tune of We Will Rock You! Only Michael Ball would attempt such a stunt as he celebrates the end of his run as Caractacus Potts in the West End musical (now sung by Gary Wilmot) and the launch of his new album, A Love Story.

There are many empty chairs and empty tables in the cavernous depths of the Arena, but the chunky housewives' choice still attracts thousands of enthusiastic fans to take the chill off a cold Tyneside night.

Carefully casual in a charcoal jacket and grey trousers Ball flirts constantly with his fans and later cheekily invites the audience to grab his shiny-suited bum during a Tom Jones-style Help Yourself romp towards the finale. He only has to run his fingers through his curly mop of hair to earn roars of encouragement. Earlier, he'd adopted a Geordie accent as he delivered the good, the bland and the downright self-indulgent from his impressive back catalogue of 11 gold-rated albums.

Ball's booming voice and easy charm ensures that every song reaches out to his audience and its almost unnerving to see so many women sit transfixed for two minutes before bursting into applause.

His new album mixes new songs with the crowd-pleasers like This Guy's In Love and the late Robert Palmer's wonderful and wistful She Makes My Day. Then extracts from Miss Saigon and Les Miserables and Chitty tribute show Ball at his best. Who needs second-rate Pop Idols when you've got the real thing already?

Viv Hardwick

Published: 04/11/2003