Beach Boys, Portsmouth Guildhall

IN an age of rampant spurious litigation, simply calling themselves the Beach Boys is almost an invitation to further controversy.

They were a cornerstone of the Californian youth culture of the 1960s with their distinctive and innovative harmony, fully deserving their plinth in music's hall of fame.

Their subsequent troubles have been well-documented, so much so that Mike Love quipped: "We're glad to be here, in fact we're glad to be anywhere.''

"Anywhere" was Ports-mouth Guildhall where lead singer Love and other founding member Al Jardine played as though they had discovered a unique rich seam of sonic Viagra as they led their support band through a brilliant showcase.

At more than two and a half hours with hit after hit - and what a legacy they have left behind - this was not so much a trip down memory lane but a nostalgic and leisurely journey of motorway proportions which had the greybeard faithful bopping in the aisles.

They ran the gamut of their ne'er-to-be-forgotten surfing based numbers, ending with the appropriately titled Fun, Fun, Fun.

It certainly was. Great stuff. Come back soon.