Vampires' Rock is nearly three hours of loud, driving classic rock accompanied by extravagant visual effects that lift the spirits . . . and nearly have your head exploding.

It's put together by Steve Steinman who made his name 31 years ago when he appeared on the ITV programme "Stars in Their Eyes" as Meatloaf - which tells you all you need to know about the kind of music you get here!

Vampires' Rock first came about a decade after that - Steve has been doing a hugely successful Meatloaf tribute show since his first TV appearance but he wanted to branch out with something else as well featuring other artists' songs.

So Vampires' Rock was born - bringing in numbers from the likes of AC/DC, Guns 'n' Roses, Alice Cooper, Journey and even Queen.

It's evolved over the years and the number of singers has increased. There is a camp horror theme running through it that feels like a guilty pleasure - but essentially this is all about the music and the visual effects.

Ipswich Star: Lorraine Crosby features in Vampires' Rock.Lorraine Crosby features in Vampires' Rock. (Image: Steve Steinman Productions)

This year's show also features Lorraine Crosby - a legend in classic rock circles. She provided the female vocals on some of Meatloaf's greatest hits including "I would do anything for love."

What is new this year - and I have seen quite a few Vampires' Rock shows in the past - is that there is a fair amount of new material among the familiar classic numbers.

Those numbers also went down well with an audience who clearly know their Bon Jovi from their Van Halen - and were greeted as enthusiastically as the familiar tracks.

And the good news is this certainly isn't the last we've seen of Mr Steinman in Ipswich - tickets have now gone on sale for next year's show which is being billed as a full musical with many more original numbers alongside our old favourites.

I can't wait!

Rating: 5 out of 5.