Status Quo: New Bingley Hall, Stafford

BETWEEN SEVEN and eight thousand fans queued for hours in the rain on Sunday, and then were individually frisked before they streamed into the cavernous area of New Bingley Hall, Stafford, for what will be remembered as one of the most enjoyable and trouble-free gigs of the New Year. For all their biker-style denim, leather attire and ferocious enthusiasm, the fans were there not for aggro but for the sole purpose of showing, with lusty vocal accompaniment, that Status Quo are the best-loved supremos of unpretentious, hard-hitting rock 'n' roll in Britain.