THE lead up to Christmas may start earlier each year but you know it’s getting close when Dr Roy Wood, founder member of The Move, ELO and Wizzard arrives in town bringing his rock and roll show.

Wood apologised for being a little late taking the stage and for being somewhat tired, the understandable result of his home having been burgled that morning.

Indeed, he was much better humoured about it than I could ever have been.

At the Sage he opened the evening with The Move’s California Man and the hits continued one after the other. The Move numbers he performed - Call The Fire Brigade, Flowers In The Rain, I Can Hear The Grass Grow and Blackberry Way - were a sweet reminder of the hazy daze of the 'Swinging 60s' yet still managed to sound fresh.

In the 70s, his face often painted and his hair and beard usually a rainbow of colours, Wood and his band Wizzard were regulars on Top of The Pops as he again demonstrated his knack for producing hits. We were treated to most of these including The Ball Park Incident, Angel Fingers and See My Baby Jive.

Telling the audience that in a break from tradition he wouldn’t be leaving the stage to simply walk back on for an encore he instead wished us a good evening before closing with, of course, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day as the audience danced by their seats and in the aisles.