Of course, this man can do no wrong. Ninety-nine per cent of the (screaming) hoards gathered here tonight regard him with an overwhelming affection - a combination of raw teenage lust and protective motherly love. Mark Owen was their first teenage crush, their favourite 90s poster boy and no-one, but no-one, can say a word to remove him from that special place in their hearts.
To his credit, tonight does not rely on nostalgia. Aside from a mini break-dance midway through the set, there are no concessions to his Take That past. Not even, as many might have hoped, a cover of 'Back For Good'. Tonight is all about Mark 2003 - fresh from Celebrity Big Brother success and a recent Top 5 single, the diminutive pretty boy is in high spirits and eager to show the world he's emerged from the musical wilderness.
It's easy to scoff at the idea of Owen as a credible solo artist but this evening he comes close to proving that success could be within his grasp. With a tight backing band, Owen, all chiselled good-looks and floppy haired perfection, saunters on stage to the rousing rock of 'Crush', the words 'I mean business' etched across his face. Recent single, 'Four Minute Warning', follows and as the loyal fans scream back the lyrics word for word, it seems they're falling back in love with him all over again.
Even for the cynics, there's enough good material here to prevent an elongated trip to the bar. 'Close To The Edge' and 'Gravity' are classic guitar-driven pop songs, far superior to Owen's recent release. 'Baby I'm No Good' is a tender ballad that displays a pleasantly surprising depth of soul and upcoming single and set closer 'Alone Without You' almost inspires a lighters-in-the-air moment. dotmusic is suitably impressed.
Unfortunately, even armed with a string of good songs, it's hard to ignore the fact that Owen also slaughters some of the finest pop tunes known to man. It's harmless fun of course, but rock renditions of 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' and Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love' are ill advised for a man with a vocal whine as, ahem, unique as Mark's. He can get away with the cute stuff but a full volume round of Kylie's "Na na na, na na na na naaaahs" is almost too much to bear.
Ultimately though, come the end of the show, Owen knows he's got the crowd in the palm of his very small hand. Efficiently delivering what they came for and, inadvertently, a little bit extra - a quick flash of the stomach...swoon!!! - this hour-long set highlighted the strength and style of his own rather good material, save the aforementioned abominations. He's unlikely to be headlining Knebworth anytime soon but, for now, it seems everybody's happy.
