The South entertained fans at an intermate gig at The Concorde Club in Eastleigh on Friday night.

Taking to the stage at 9pm, the pop band – led by Alison Wheeler and Gaz Birtles on lead vocals – delivered a two-act singalong that saw people of all ages lose themselves in an energetic setlist.

The South formed in 2009 following the split of The Beautiful South two years earlier, with former band members including Wheeler, Birtles, and the now retired Dave Hemingway performing their well-known hits under a new name as well as new music released throughout their second reincarnation.

New to The South for 2024 is trumpet player and vocalist, Gareth John, as the nine-piece band shook the walls of The Concorde Club with memorable tunes Rotterdam, A Little Time (which was a UK number one single for The Beautiful South in 1990), and Don’t Marry Her.

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The South performing at The Concorde Club (Image: Newsquest) The Concorde Club in Eastleigh was packed to full capacity with the audience quite literally rubbing shoulder to shoulder, with many members of the crowd vacating their seats – met with much enthusiasm from the band – for the closing stages of the two-hour concert to dance up close and personal with The South, who were well worth the entry fee.

Following on from The Concorde Club, The South continue to travel round the UK on their 2024 tour, having already played at The Brook in Southampton in March.

Formed by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway of the Housemartins, they called the band The Beautiful South in a tongue-in-cheek nod to their staunch Northern roots.

Accompanied by several different female singers during their tenure - Briana Corrigan, Jacqui Abbott and Alison Wheeler - the band also won a Brit Award in 1991 for A Little Time, beating out competition from Crazy by Seal and the supermodel-studded Freedom! '90 by George Michael.