For one night last week as the Bradford concert hall, five musicians had the eager audience spellbound.

They were led by John Stirling as their leader Buddy, wearing the famous black-rimmed glasses, his cheeky face lighting up every moment.

He loved his endearing numbers as much as we did.

And so did his four cavorting colleagues: guitarist Jim Newman, who engagingly introduced the show’s opening, bassist Andy Ingram, pianist and saxophone player Neil Nicholas, and drummer Darren Barnes at the rear.

Buddy Holly’s style is as distinctive as other great performers like Elvis Presley or Queen, and his personality is part of the act.

Joe gets as much pleasure from performing as audiences derive from what they saw and hear.

His audiences are not let off lightly either. We were promised the aisles and that’s what we got.

The final surprise was the of the saxophonist’s voice, especially in Twist And Shout and Great Balls Of Fire. Altogether, never a dull moment!

John Pettitt.