Twenty-five years ago Blue arrived onto the music world by becoming one of the biggest pop bands of the new millennium. Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa were seldom out of the charts with songs that became the soundtrack to the young lives of their fans.

Rather than their silver anniversary become just another quick cash in on their popularity, unlike many of their peers Blue released a new album. Reflections earlier this year proving that the band are far from stagnant, reinforcing their place in the present, always evolving and moving forwards.

As the curtain dropped to reveal the four members stood on stage, the screams and warm welcome from the fans made it all feel like it was 2001 again. The lead single off the album, One Last Time opened up the evening at York Barbican as the four members, backed by an equally talented four-piece band, led the mainly female audience on a journey that mixed nostalgia with the present.

The rock-heavy opening number owed more to Stereophonics than the usual pop numbers associated with Blue before moving on to more familiar territory with Fly By.

What soon became apparent was that this was a group who were still having fun. The camaraderie and interaction between them were genuine and natural, made all the more so by the enthusiastic response from the York audience.

During a show that was paced perfectly, Blue mixed the old favourites, new songs and ones that they might not have performed for a while, like Alive/ Bubblin’ which were updated so as not to make it all sound dated.

The band were keen to point out that they mainly wrote their own songs; however, the presence of songwriter Tim Woodcock in the audience, who has co-written with Blue, made the show even more personal.

Their new single Flowers, written by Robbie Williams, was finished off with each member handing out red roses to the fans. What could have been seen as a contrived move was delivered with style and a token of gratitude.

The night gathered even more momentum and more strength with a cover of the Next song, Too Close and a soulful nod to Stevie Wonder via Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours as the show concluded on a high.

The encore provided some light and shade in the shape of The Day The Earth Stood Still, a track from the new album which was followed by One Love, in the process turning the York Barbican into one mass unified chorus – complete with the hand signals associated with the track.

As far as anniversary tours go, tonight felt like an acknowledgement to the past yet at the same time looking to the future, in the process making Blue still relevant with a performance that was considered consummate and cohesive.

For anyone looking for a great night out the tour continues with further dates in the north:

29th April - Newcastle o2 City Hall
30th April - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
18th May - Manchester Opera House
19th May - Hull Connexin Live
21st May - Bradford Live