FOUR young men playing guitars and drums, singing catchy three minute pop songs. Whilst it might have catapulted The Beatles into the world's biggest band, it hasn't quite worked that way for current chart favourites McFly.

On the final night of their tour – the original Nottingham date was postponed by three weeks – the foursome pulled out all the stops to put on a show that no-one in the large audience could say they didn't enjoy.

McFly are a curious beast. For anyone who still believes that they are a manufactured boy band with limited talent; think again. Whether you care for their music or not, these boys can sing, can play and can write great pop music. From the opening notes of Party Girl, it was clear that this was going to be a loud, fun spectacle and so it turned out over a packed two hour set.

It's easy to dismiss McFly as low rate chart fodder, but they can boast seven number one singles in the UK (more than Queen, Rod Stewart, Britney Spears and Rihanna), five top twenty albums and a Brit award. As time has passed, they seem to have become more widely accepted thanks to universally popular hits such as All About You and Obviously – performed as a medley here – and through radio friendly collaborations with the likes of Taio Cruz.

By the size and enthusiasm of the audience, McFly can also boast a large and loyal fan base. They have been at the top of their profession for eight years now; an achievement that many artists would give their right arm for.

With Tom and Danny's vocals sounding as good as ever, the foursome ploughed through hits including Transylvania, Lies and Star Girl with the emphasis very much on everyone having a good time. Shooting T-shirts into the audience from cannons, fireworks and giant balloons were the order of the day and a terrific version of Tinie Tempah's Pass Out and the great The Last Song concluded the main show.

To rings of fire and more pyrotechnics, the band returned to give us the brilliant One For The Radio and The Heart Never Lies before returning to the stage for a second time with a rousing rendition of recent top five hit Shine A Light.

McFly are a band that you've probably assumed you don't like, but perhaps it's time to think again. As they say: "don't pretend you hate us when you sing along, cause we all look the same in the dark."

Set list:

Party Girl, Nowhere Left To Run, If U C Kate, That's The Truth, Transylvania, Lies, Corrupted, Falling In Love, All About You/Obviously, I Need A Woman, End Of The World, Smile, Star Girl, Five Colours In Her Hair, Pass Out, The Last Song, One For The Radio, The Heart Never Lies, Shine A Light

Nick Parkhouse