IT was the era of heavy eye-liner, hairspray – stacks of it – and Spandex. And that was just the blokes.

Poison, Twisted Sister, Europe, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake – all major players of the glam metal scene that was so popular back in the 1980s.

History has not been kind to some of those bands, even though they once sold millions of records worldwide.

Mention some of the bands I’ve listed above and you could well be met with sniggers.

It is not cool to publicly admit to liking “hair metal” or ‘poodle rock” – negative phrases, suggesting little musical talent and an over-reliance on how a band looks rather than they quality of their music.

But I do not care.

Perhaps I’m not cool, but if that’s the case then neither were the hundreds of music fans at Southampton’s Mayflower last night for the opening night of Rock of Ages.

A love story set in 1980s LA – spiritual home of glam metal – the show features over 20 classic songs from those gloriously un-PC times.

The soundtrack is superb, with ballads (More Than Words) and full-on rockers (The keyboard-saturated Final Countdown) to get the audience singing along to.

In a nutshell, the story sees frustrated rocker Drew Boley (Noel Sullivan, once of Popstars winners Hear’Say) falling in love with Sherrie Christian, a young wannabe singer from Kansas who moves to LA to find her fame and fortune.

Their blossoming romance is halted by the arrival on the scene of Stacee Jaxx, bearing a striking resemblance to Poison’s Bret Michaels.

But there is a happy ending, as there always is.

Starring Tom Cruise, the film Rock of Ages premiered two years ago.

But it was the theatre show, which debuted in – where else? – LA’s Hollywood Boulevard in 2005, that spawned the film, rather than the other way around.

Daily Echo:

80s rock correspondant Simon Carter, left, with Rock of Ages star Noel Sullivan, who plays Drew Boley.

‘Rock ...’ made its Broadway debut in 2009, and celebrated its UK premiere two years later.

The Mayflower is one of 27 venues nationwide showcasing ‘Rock ...’, a tour which began in Manchester back in May and which runs through to late November in Wimbledon.

If you’ve seen the film – also starring Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alec Baldwin – don’t expect a mirror image production.

The general storyline might be similar, but there are different songs, different characters, great dance routines.

And many more laughs, from start to finish.

Highlights? Not just in the hair, but Here I Go Again, Every Rose Has Its Thorn and set-closer Don’t Stop Believing.

There is also a great moment before Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot which brought one of the biggest cheers of the night.

You want Nothin’ but a Good Time, to quote a Poison song from last night?

Go and rock out at the Mayflower, then.

Do you know something else?

I just can’t stop this feeling anymore, and I have to say it.

I love 80s glam metal – there, I told you I wasn’t cool – and I love Rock of Ages.

If you’ve booked a ticket, and you love signing along to some of the greatest songs of the 80s, you’ll love it too. . .

Rock of Ages runs until this Saturday at The Mayflower.