The North East had an evening to remember as pop giants Steps headlined a concert on Sunday night in front of an impressive bank holiday crowd at The Northern Echo Arena.
A generation of music fans from across the region turned out in force, some queuing from as early as 10am, to see the star-studded line up of bands play a full set of their biggest hits. Steps were supported by Blue, Bjorn Again and Power of Muzik in an action-packed evening of pop that had fans singing and dancing all night.

The night was opened by Power of Muzik – an anti-bullying charity collective who provide inspiration to young people across the country. They were followed by Bjorn Again, who performed a series of ABBA’s greatest hits. Platinum selling boyband Blue were next, much to the delight of an enthusiastic local crowd, before the headline act thrilled the fans with a selection of their greatest hits. They signed off in style with their biggest single, Tragedy, to a chorus of cheers from their fans.

Mowden Park Managing Director Lee Rust was delighted with the concert saying:
“We’re delighted to have played host to such a fantastic event for the region. A huge amount of work has gone into establishing the Arena as a venue for high profile events, and today was another landmark occasion.’’

‘’Our events team led by Danny Brown have worked seamlessly alongside Liz Hobbs Group (LHG Live) to deliver together another great occasion for the region. We’re immensely proud of what’s been achieved tonight and we’re now looking forward to welcoming a-ha in June’’.

‘’We believe our venue can attract world-class events on an annual basis and we’re looking forward to taking the next steps in the journey with LHG Live in the coming months.’’
The event formed part of the Summer of Steps tour, encompassing 15 dates across the UK. Tour organisers Liz Hobbs Group (LHG Live), who this year are also producing and promoting concerts with Tom Jones, Little Mix, Paloma Faith , Craig David and Rita Ora were equally positive about the evening and the venue’s potential.

CEO Liz Hobbs MBE commented: "We’re thrilled with the success of our second concert in Darlington after a brilliant gig last summer. The region has once again responded brilliantly and the atmosphere was incredible tonight.

"The Mowden Park team and local authority have all been extremely professional to work with and we’re delighted to have delivered another fantastic event for Darlington .

"We share the belief that the venue can deliver first class gigs year on year for the North East. We’re looking forward to the a-ha concert in June and we’re already talking to artists about 2019, as we develop our longer term relationship with Mowden Park."

The event follows on from last year’s UB40 gig, a string of international rugby fixtures and rebirth of the Darlington Fireworks in what has become a diverse event calendar at the Arena. The Norwegian trio a-ha are set to perform at the Arena on Sunday 17 June as part of their 2018 Summer Electric Tour, performing some of their biggest hits. Tickets for the a-ha concert are available from the club on 01325 350267 or online via Ticketmaster. Click here for more information.