WHEN Russ from Band of Skulls said "I think this is going to be good" there were nothing but cheers from the crowd.

The city's favourite rockers brought fans - new and old - to their feet with a selection of songs from their back catalogue

Backed by new city orchestra The Space Between Collective it's the first in what composer-conductor Dan Mar-Molinero hopes will be a series of collaborations with Southampton's best loved pop and rock acts.

There were definitely nerves at the start but despite Russ needing to start Bruises again it only made the audience warm to the set-up more.

A well-placed rendition of It's Great To Be Back In Southampton had the crowd enthused and on board - while Emma's delight at bringing the Woolston Ferry song back from the depths was met with whoops of glee.

The build-up of the whole set was perfect, from the stripped back cello of opening track Hometowns to a full-on finale of funk which had the crowd on their feet and begging for a second encore.

Retro footage of ferries, ships, docks and cranes framed the stage with an easy nostalgia, but that's what the gig was about.

Southampton was inspiration and backdrop for the gig - and the drive behind the collaboration.

There were orchestral homages to Southampton hymn writer Isaac Watts and an original version of Nearer My God To Thee - the hymn the string players aboard the Titanic are reported to have played as they sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Himalayan and Devils rounded off the set and When The Saints Go Marching In gave the brass section a chance to shine.

Kitty O'Neal opened the show with a lovely set of her original songs - the best of which, A Home, has shades of Nick Drake on the guitar and Joni Mitchell on the vocals.

And it fit the theme of the night nicely.

As the opening show for the Nuffield theatre's city centre music programme it was an impressive start to a new era for Southampton and is exactly what a world class collective should be doing - teasing out the city's musical history and turning it into something new.

I can't wait to see what's next.