Anderson Paak set a sold out Victoria Warehouse alight on Saturday in an enigmatic return to the North.

His dramatic entrance, featuring an eruption of fire on stage, was met with palpable excitement from the crowd as the curtain fell and unveiled the band.

It set the tone for 90 minutes of hip hop and R&B bliss which proved that the genre is best served with a live band of talented musicians - in this case, the Free Nationals.

In more ways than one, the American musician reminded fans of what he has been up to since he last performed in Manchester at Parklife almost two years ago.

“I told you I'd be back, Manchester,” he told his adoring audience. “But you didn't know I'd be back with a Grammy, did you?”

The 33-year-old, who won the prestigious award for Best Rap Performance earlier this year, kicked the show off with tunes from his latest album.

Oxnard, named after his California hometown, features a series of industry stars including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Q-Tip and J Cole.

In their absence, the Free Nationals helped translate the biggest hits from the record to fill the vast warehouse space with its eternal festival feel.

A talented multi-instrumentalist, Paak spent much of his time on stage leading the band from the back.

With intricate drum fills, the soulful grooves of his second album Malibu were brought to life with everyone hanging on to every beat.

The audience, who caught Paak as he launched himself into crowd, also got a taste of some new material when he performed his latest single, King James.

Much like the Trump-bashing 6 Summers from his most recent LP, the new single is politically inspired but, in this case, delivers a message of hope.

Fans were offered another tweet when Paak performed tracks from his other project, NxWorries, and made way for the Free Nationals to showcase one of their own singles.

The concert ended with a tribute to the late Mac Miller and who died of a suspected drug overdose six months ago.

The American rapper worked with Paak who featured on Dang!, a song which finished with an image of Miller's face beaming from the screen.