THEY created mass hysteria where ever they went or 'Rollermania' as it became more commonly known.

The Bay City Rollers were the biggest boy band in the world in the 1970's whose tartan-clad army of fans created scenes reminiscent of the Beatles.

Now as front man Les McKeown returned to Hampshire last night for the second of two shows at Eastleigh's Concorde Club, the Daily Echo has unearthed archive pictures that capture the scenes when Rollermania came to Southampton in those heady days of the 70's.

The pictures show how the five Edinburgh lads - Les McKeown, Eric Faulkner, Alan Longmuir, Stuart 'Woody' Wood and Derek Longmuir caused huge excitement as they played The Gaumont in 1975 and 1976.

In fact a huge police presence can be seen outside the theatre as teenage girls eagerly queued to get in.

Fans are also pictured outside Southampton's Park Hotel where the band were staying.

The fans can be seen dressed like their idols with trademark tartan caps, unfeasibly wide, too-short, tartan-edged flares, platform boots with striped socks bearing images of their favourite band member's face up the side, tartan-bedecked tops and tartan scarves.

Those were the days when the Bay City Rollers faces were emblazoned over Jackie and Blue Jeans magazine - and millions of bedroom walls, and became the only band since the Beatles to have had the word ‘mania’ appended to their name, in an effort to convey the pandemonium that existed around them.

They belted out songs like Remember, Shang-a-Lang and Bye-Bye Baby- a song employed to moving effect at the funeral in the movie Love, Actually.

Les McKeown, who was only 18-21 years old during the Roller years of 1974-79, is now 60 but he was back performing the hits last night at the Concorde Club to a more mature but still highly excitable tartan-decked crowd. This was their third visit to the Concorde in the last five years.

Les also showcased his new solo album Les McKeown…The Lost Songs - songs he wrote in the band's hey-day but was never allowed to record.

He told me: "I only remember the happy days. I don't remember the bad days any more as that takes you down to a dark place.

"I always celebrate Rollermania with the fans that have stuck with me through the years.

"It was quite hectic. In January 1974 we went on tour . I left home and went to London and I only got back home six times between then and 1978.

"We were young and stupid at the time . We had lots of energy. I just wanted to be the front man with the swagger," he laughed, adding:

"Time goes fast but when I think back on those years time went really really fast. When I think of those tours it only seems like it was a couple of months of my life - not years."