FAITHFUL Meat Loaf fans battled through the snow to see their idol's flamboyant and dramatic Hang Cool Tour at the Bournemouth International Centre.

It may be more than 30 years since the Bat out of Hell album first entered the UK charts but it seemed like yesterday as the sell-out crowd belted out every word along with their hero.

At 63 years old - or "sexty three" as he prefers to call it - Meat Loaf still has as much stage presence as ever and proved he remains at the top of his game.

The BIC is one of the smallest venues on his nine-date UK tour, ensuring the crowd got a close-up view of the impressive lighting, giant bat and action film sequences.

His voice may not be quite as note-perfect as it was in the '70s but no one seemed to care.

And his six-piece band can play a bit too.

The two-hour set opened with a Rocky Horror sequence, followed by tracks from the new album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear.

But it was Bat Out Of Hell favourites including Two out of Three Aint Bad and Paradise by the Dashboard Light which really got people on their feet.

Piano, guitar and saxophone solos proved Meat still performs with the world's best musicians.

And the show attracted a surprising range of people with six-year-old girls sitting alongside their granddads.

The new album has some way to go before it can compare with Bat Out Of Hell - it has sold 37 million copies and has never left the UK charts in 33 years.

But Meat Loaf is cleverly making sure Hang Cool Teddy Bear is in as many households as possible by giving every single person a free copy at his live shows.

For most people it was the first time they had seen him in the flesh but, as they filed out of the BIC, no one believed it was the last. Perhaps he'll be back when he's 93.

And - this is a first for me - the queues were outside the men's loos instead of the ladies with male fans vastly outnumbering females.