THE Stylistics formed in 1968 and became one of the standout soul groups of the time with a string of hits in the seventies, in fact some of my earliest musical memories include listening to The Stylistics on the radio in the front room of our old house.

Checking the release dates of those singles I must have been around seven years old at the time.

The fact that those songs and memories have stayed with me for so long is a testament to the quality of the songwriting and the vocal delivery of the original group.

Two of that original group are still going strong so we were lucky enough to see Airrion Love and Herb Burrell on stage tonight where they were joined by Jason Sharp who is relatively new to the group having only been supplying lead vocals for the past 13 years.

The Stylistics have toured many times over the past few years but circumstances have always conspired against me so I have never managed to see them live.

That changed when they returned to the Bournemouth Pavilion and treated us all to some of those classic tunes that still sound fresh and new all these years later.

The Pavilion is the perfect venue for this type of show as it is large enough to host a sizeable audience while retaining the ability to feel like a much smaller more intimate setting.

The stage set up and lighting was pretty basic with all of the focus being on the trio of singers who delivered a set list that was everything that you would have wanted it to be.

Mostly known for slower tempo songs such as the number one hit Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love) the reasonably short set was perfectly paced with other slower numbers such as Stop, Look Listen to Your Heart, You Are Everything and You Make Me Fell Brand New were interspersed with classic dance tunes including Betcha By Golly, Wow and Rock & Roll Baby.

The set may have been short but it delivered everything I have waited so long to hear live.

Classic songs like this really stand the test of time and tonight’s show means that I can tick another group off my list of must see acts.