Peter Andre - An Unexpected Surprise

It is easy to forget that before I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here and his relationship with a certain supermodel that Peter Andre did actually have a music career. Nevertheless the TV show did kick-start his career again and if it had not been for the show he could have ended up playing summer seasons in a seaside resort like Blackpool, the town of tonight's (24th Nov) gig.

Surprisingly his latest album, 'Angels and Demons' is very good; some of the tracks would sit comfortably alongside the tracks of the latest albums from Ne-Yo, Usher, Chris Brown and even Calvin Harris on the more dance- influenced numbers.

His current UK tour is entitled 'Up Close and Personal', which allows him to interact with his largely female audience (which at tonight's venue ranged from 10 to 70, such is his appeal). He walks through his audience to their delight, shaking hands and exchanging smiles as he sings John Lennon's 'Imagine'.

It gets even closer when he invites a competition winner up on stage with him as he sings to her the Bee Gee's classic and Take That cover - 'How Deep Is Your Love'. It's an old trick that Enrique Iglesias and even Bryan Adams have used in the past on their last tours but it still works.

His rapport with the audience was infectious and his warm dialogue in-between the songs appeared genuine. His dance routines with his 4 dancers were well rehearsed and spot on. Visually it was a spectacular show with fireworks, a bit of magic mixed with illusions and many costume changes.

Musically the cover versions were worked in amongst his own tracks - a reggae section worked the Bob Marley classic 'One Love' into Andre's own classic - 'Mysterious Girl'.

It was the tracks from his new album that showed how he has progressed musically - 'Ignition', 'Fly Away', 'Don't Give Up' and the closing number the Michael Jackson-inspired 'What A Girl'. These songs really do need to be heard beyond his fans.

For a 2-hour show that was entertaining, fast-paced and interactive it ticked all the boxes - even the male members of the audience who had come along with their partners had a smile on their faces. An unexpected surprise.

Peter Andre will be coming to Yorkshire soon:

Scarborough Futurist Theatre - 29th November 2012
Sheffield City Hall - 2nd December 2012
Leeds O2 Academy - 18th January 2013
Doncaster Dome - 19th January 2013

Stop Press!

Due to phenomenal demand, Peter Andre has now added eight new dates to his tour in January 2013. The Yorkshire Times is running a competition to win tickets for Peter Andre's Up Close and Personal tour click here to enter.