The BIC was packed to the rafters for the return of the Kaiser Chiefs and the anticipation and sheer excitement emanating from the crowds is second to the supporters of no other band.

Ably supported by up and coming band The Sherlocks, followed by The Fratellis, the Chiefs produced magic and made the BIC their own.

The Fratellis entered to the can-can and were backed by three female singers and a two-man horn section.

This beefed-up sound enhanced the whole show, which even included an unexpected version of that arena-rock classic Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.

Chelsea Dagger closed the set and provided the perfect crowd singalong anthem as a precursor for the main event.

The audience predictably went wild as the Chiefs appeared on stage.

That great frontman Ricky Wilson made his entrance above the band in front of a massive projected moon. Climbing down to stage level he took the time to state the name of the band... as if anyone in the BIC needed reminding.

Bournemouth Echo:

He said we had a lot a hits to hear and the roars from the crowd gave Ricky all the encouragement he needed.

Ricky even performed Freddie Mercury-esque calls and responses with immense enthusiasm while standing on a monitor. Pure showmanship and one of the few moments he was not running and dancing around the stage.

After the initial rockers, a park bench was brought on to the stage as the band provided some lighter acoustic relief.

So many hits were played and all were greeted with total adoration, with the huge reponses reserved for 2005’s Everyday I Love You Less and Less and Ruby from 2007.

Bournemouth Echo:

The quality of Andrew White’s guitar playing throughout the show deserves praise. He never overwhelms the show, but without his playing subtleties the band would simply not work. A band is more than the sum of the parts and Peanut’s synth playing is also integral to the sound.

The band made us wait for the encore, but People Know How To Love One Another segued into Oh My God was certainly worth the wait.

To see the response and sheer delight of the crowd to what has become almost a mainstream band is pleasure in itself. All too soon the lights were up and we had to depart for normal life after an hour and 45 minutes of musical escapism.