TIMING is everything and the latest tour of We Will Rock You is certainly riding the revival wave created by last year's release of Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Not that the popularity of Queen ever really waned. But it's certainly not a bad time to be selling tickets to what amounts to a brilliant two and a half hour rock concert with a narrative vaguely running alongside it.

We Will Rock You is one of the original jukebox musicals, featuring 25 numbers from the back catalogue of rock icons Queen. It's proving a major Mayflower success story nearly nine years after its Southampton debut and only other appearance. It's the first complete sell out of a week long show in six years so there's no chance of seeing We Will Rock You in Southampton without a ticket, but it does visit Kings Theatre Portsmouth for a week in June.

Creator Ben Elton, the celebrated comedian behind The Young Ones and Blackadder, was in last night's first night crowd, scribbling away in his notepad. Quite apart from the superb spectacle on stage, he witnessed an audience completely enthralled, laughing, singing and swaying along and giving a well deserved standing ovation to the cast as the curtain went down.

But We Will Rock You is less about his futuristic tale, which is equally funny and alarming, and more about the music of one of the greatest bands of all time.

Musical numbers are fast and furious and superbly choreographed. The musicianship is incredible and there are several members of the cast who can happily hold a Freddie Mercury vocal solo. The high energy cast sing and dance their way through dozens of anthems, fans favourites and lesser known tracks to the backdrop of giant LED wall projections.

The plot is almost lost by the wayside, but centres around a time in the future where rock and instruments are banned and the only music allowed is produced by an 'X Factor' style production line.

It follows the adventures of Galileo and Scaramouche as they join the Bohemians, a motley crew with nods to various music legends, and strive to break free from the cyber world of the future and find the planet's last remaining musical instrument.

The glorious finale ended the show on a high with excerpts from We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody.

The show runs until Saturday.