Nostalgic hits and new crowd-pleasers with familiar cheeky banter: Our review of Robbie Williams at The Halls Wolverhampton

The now-LA-based superstar showed he is as strong as ever performing nostalgic tracks from his debut album Life thru a Lens on his Long 90's tour, which rolled into Wolverhampton on Monday night to massive anticipation and a rapturous welcome.

And the 51-year-old's new BRITPOP album - also performed in full - shows he has not lost the ability to write and perform perfectly crafted crowd-pleasing songs, nor the feel for a great night out.

Indeed its release last month extended his remarkable record as the solo artist with the most UK number one albums (BRITPOP was his 16th to top the charts - Taylor Swift has managed 14 and Elvis Presley 13).

The Stoke-on-Trent-born and bred former member of Take That wore the T-shirt of Wolverhampton's own hometown heroes Slade, who have adorned the same stage many times.

And the cheeky banter Robbie was always known for was evident when he credited signature tune Angels - sung mainly by an adoring crowd - as saving him from "sellling spice" in his home city.

Let Me Entertain You and opener Lazy Days had the packed Halls crowd on their feet right away - but Willams didn't rest on the laurels of nostalgia.

The second half of the show brought highlights including Spies from the new album and a song written about his wife of 20 years, Ayda, who he also credits with "saving" him.

There were plenty of Beatles references and a few about his time in Take That and one of the songs on the new album he wrote with Gary Barlow about their joint hero Morrissey.

Tales of his former life of rock and roll debauchery went down a storm as did the songs both old and new.

it all added to a great evening of nostalgia from the Britpop era and power pop that shows Robbie has lost none of his charisma - or 'pulling power' - going into his second half-century.