IT was a day that many fans thought they would never see - their heroes back in Blackburn for the first time in 39 years.

Some had queued for hours to ensure a coveted spot down the front and there was a distinct buzz around the town - all the more remarkable bearing in mind it was a Tuesday night. Yes, The Specials were in town.

Admittedly the band in its current guise only features three original members - singer Terry Hall, bassist Horace Panter and guitarist Lynval Golding - but it mattered not one jot.

A sold out King George's Hall danced, skanked and roared its approval as the Two Tone masters rolled back the years.

The show was part of the band's 40th anniversary tour and also marked their most recent album Encore, only their third studio album.

It's an album which has polarised the critics. Many love it. Others, bizarrely, have panned it for among other things being too much like The Specials. That surely is one of its strong points.

Certainly Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys and Embarrassed By You fitted seamlessly into the set.

With Ocean Colour Scene's Steve Craddock helping out on guitar duties, musically the band were as tight as you could hope they would be - Sir Horace Gentleman on bass and new drummer Kenrick Rowe providing an almost hypnotic, pounding rhythm section.

From the opening bars of Man at C&A to a final encore of You're Wondering Now we were treated to song after song from an impressive back catalogue.

Terry Hall, never one of the most loquacious front men, kept the between song banter to a minimum preferring instead to grab a crafty vape whenever the opportunity arose. He always looks as though he's just got out of bed, but his lyrics - and his vocals - are key to The Specials living up to their name.

A Message to You Rudy, Nite Klub and Monkey Man all turned the packed venue into a bouncing, seething, Fred Perry-wearing mosh pit. As the stage lights lit up the crowd, the sweat glistening off many a bald pate shone brightly.

Saffiyah Khan, who had been acting as pre-show DJ, came on to join the band for 10 Commandments. Sadly her shouted vocals were almost unintelligible which was a shame as the message in the song is so powerful, but perhaps her very presence on stage was sufficient.

With a backdrop of protest banners and placards ranging from 'Television will not be Revolutionised' to 'Listen to Sly and the Family Stone', The Specials delivered a powerful, enjoyable, impressive and hugely relevant show. Two Tone and everything it stands for is alive and well and in safe hands.