IT’S 21 years since soul-influenced pop band the Christians stormed the UK charts with their millionselling debut album.

But singer Garry Christian’s outfit is still going strong as a rousing acoustic session at the Huntingdon proved.

Garry is the only one of the original three brothers left in the band and he carried the show with his smooth soul voice and off-thecuff Scouse banter.

Remaining casually seated until the encore, he effortlessly hit the heights on a series of songs showcasing the band’s blend of soul, gospel and acoustic pop.

The brothers were famous for their perfect soul harmonies and classic songwriting and the new line-up easily stood comparison with their heyday.

Jay Ankrah was a pitch-perfect foil for Christian on backing vocals/acoustic guitar and Stewart Boyle produced some great guitar work.

Christian seemed a little concerned about the sound after a couple of numbers and asked the audience if the pitch was right – the enthusiastic response soon allayed any fears.

Highlights, included Born Again, a beautiful rendition of Ideal World and early classic Hooverville – the majestic harmonies filling the auditorium.

The band performed a couple of new tracks, set to be released on an album next year, which showed they have lost none of their ability to mix classic soul with a contemporary edge. Ever modest, Christian also paid homage to another great Liverpool band with covers of the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun and You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.

The Christians had the crowd moving and singing throughout and they were on their feet and hollering by the end to their Isley Brothers’ cover Harvest for the World, which to date has been their biggest hit; but this band isn’t finished yet.