Steps; Marvin and Tamara (at the Manchester Evening News Arena)

BY the time teeny popsters Marvin and Tamara arrived on stage as the final support band, the arena audience had already sat through unknowns Fred and Roxy and Point Break.

Nonetheless the teenage trio, which includes a DJ, got everybody dancing with their top 10 hit Groove Machine before belting out some sure-fire winners from their album.

Marvin and Tamara knocked spots off the other two supports with their polished, professional act but it was soon time for them to go - and for the main attraction to take the stage. The Abba-esque Steps made their way to the front of the arena incognito through the crowd under cover of carnival costumes and an entourage of colourfully dressed dancers, banners and props.

Cheeky Welsh band member H said: "We're going on a journey, Manchester! Do you want to come?" before the group belted out all their chart-topping hits as well as some new tracks from number one album Steptacular.

They travelled into space and the Steps garden, where H gave a cringeworthy rendition of George Michael's Careless Whisper before ending the show dressed in red leather with a cover of Kylie Minogue's Better the Devil You know and, arguably their biggest hit, Tragedy.

My verdict? Steps are great down the disco on a Saturday night but simply couldn't get this party going.

Not a patch on Take That, I'm afraid.

PETRA WRIGHT

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.