Those who cast aside the counter-attractions of England’s possible World Cup qualification and the Great British Bake Off to see M People at The Regent in Ipswich were not disappointed.

The 20th anniversary Greatest Hits Tour was exactly that – the band belting out one hit after another for an hour-and-a-half on Tuesday night.

After opening with One Night in Heaven, the ten-piece band reeled off many of the old favourites including Excited, Angel Street, Colour My Life, Someday, Search for the Hero and Open Your Heart.

Lead singer Heather Small was constantly on the move and the entire audience joined in too, getting to their feet during her powerful performance of Sight for Sore Eyes followed by How Can I Love You More.

That still left time for Small, Shovell, Paul Heard and the rest of the band to play Just for You, Itchycoo Park and Moving on Up as the encore to the delight of the packed audience.

An unexpected bonus was the appearance of Tunde as the support act. Tunde Baiyewu, who was the voice of the Lighthouse Family, and his band were well received as they entertained with a 40-minute set that included the well-known hits Lifted, Ocean Drive and High.

Nick Garnham