R Kelly: Hammersmith Apollo, London

IT HAS been more than a decade since R Kelly, the self-proclaimed King of R&B, last passed through London – time enough for his original fans to have grown up and stayed loyal despite the child-pornography charges (of which he was acquitted), which spent six years wending their way through court. The Lycra-and-bling-encrusted fans packing out the first of two UK dates have one thing in common: rose-coloured glasses that transform an average-looking 44-year-old with a small paunch into a prince among men.