WILL.I.AM
PHONES 4U ARENA, MANCHESTER

If it is dance pop with a big dollop of bass and fun you are after, look no further than Will.i.am.

The Black Eyed Peas founder hit the road for his first solo tour, opening the UK leg in Manchester on Tuesday night.

Helping to build the anticipation, a futuristic five minute countdown thundered through the Phones 4U Arena before the singer appeared on stage flanked by two giant heads which doubled as DJ booths.

He kicked off his energetic set with #thatPOWER, a collaboration with Canadian teen singer Justin Bieber, who appeared on the screens, before he was joined on stage by Leah McFall, Will’s contestant from The Voice.

The 24-year-old Northern Irish singer has teamed up with Will for his UK tour and the pair performed This Is Love and catchy 1920s-inspired track Bang Bang, first seen on the final of the BBC talent show.

She showcased her strong vocals and quirky style, a perfect match for the seven-time Grammy Award-winner’s brand of thumping pop.

For the second section of the show, Will jumped into a third giant head to play DJ, spinning tunes to get the party started.

Despite some questionable mixing, as well as kicking off the set with track The Hardest Ever which seemed to end just as it was about to get hard, it created a party atmosphere.

From Britney Spears’ Work B**ch to a blast of Nirvana’s Teen Spirit to Icona Pop’s I Love It, the arena bopped and sang along.

Will then made a heartfelt speech about his buddies from the Black Eyed Peas and nerves about going solo before performing an updated and remixed medley of the group’s best-known hits including I Gotta Feeling.

Due to the cavernous size of the arena, it is not blessed with the greatest acoustics but Will made sure the volume was cranked up high and bass down low, even appearing to control it from his iPad at one point.

He then left the stage while a video of his new track Feelin' Myself, featuring Miley Cyrus and with just as much attitude, played extra loud before returning for an encore including hit Scream and Shout.

An enjoyable show by a multi-talented entertainer.