But the popular foursome vowed they would be back with "something special" following their year off after 10 years of churning out hits.

Thousands of fans of all ages, male and female, flocked to Liverpool's Albert Docks to see the Irish boy band in action for the opening night of the eighth hugely successful Summer Pops which this year takes place in the new 10,000-seater arena on the waterfront.

A decade after the boys first took the pop world by storm, Mark, Nicky, Shane and Kian certainly haven't lost their appeal - greeted with shrieks as they were revealed on stage from behind a screen of lights.

Wearing black outfits and gloves, the lads opened the show by belting out Hit You With The Real Thing.

This was followed by the catchy World Of Our Own and they ripped off their outfits to reveal black suits and ties.

The costume changes kept on coming, as did the hits and the boys performed a mixture of old and new material which went down well with the crowd.

Uptown Girl, What Makes A Man, Mandy and a medley consisting of Justine Timberlake's Sexy Back, The Jackson Five's Blame It On The Boogie, Blue's Get Down On It and Wham's I'm Your Man all had the fans screaming for more.

A surprising, yet effective version of Robbie Williams' Let Me Entertain You was accompanied with a dazzling pyrotechnic display.

Unbreakable, Tonight, Catch My Breath and latest single Home all had the fans on their feet singing along with the boys.

Westlife's hour-and-a-half show closed with Flying Without Wings and as the lights dimmed, some people began leaving the arena - only to race back on hearing the boys return for an encore of When You're Looking Like That and You Raise Me Up.

Finishing the show with individual speeches, the boys assured fans they weren't breaking up and promised to be back with a 10th album after their year off and back on tour in 2010, before sharing a group hug on stage.

Some people may criticise Westlife's music for being cheesy and bland, but their performance in Liverpool showed they have a talent for turning out infectious songs and are still a boy band with a loyal fan base.

Aasma Day