Gordon Haskell, The Brook, Southampton.

GORDON may have hit the big time but he has not forgotten his friends - and they have not forgotten him.

A positive wave of affection welcomed "The Man In The Hat" on stage to play a two-hour set with the help of accomplished guitarist Robbie MacIntosh.

Opening with All In The Scheme of Things and All The Time In The World, Gordon enjoyed some

badinage with members of the sell-out crowd who knew him well from the old days playing in small venues all over Dorset and Hampshire.

By the time he and Robbie produced a pulsating version of Test Drive, Gordon was really in gear.

Last year's big hit How Wonderful You Are received huge applause before the perky Sunshine Days and the plaintive Someone I Knew.

The cheers rang out all night before Gordon and Robbie closed with Country Gold and Al Capone, leaving a warm crowd shouting for more.