IT was a 175th birthday party to remember.
A concert headlined by Shane Richie, best known for his role as Alfie Moon in BBC TV soap EastEnders, and his band The Prelude rocked the Port of Southampton to its very foundations.
The nation’s favourite pub landlord managed to get away early from filming his explosive Albert Square Christmas storyline to lead the celebrations marking the port’s 175th anniversary at the QEII Terminal in the docks.
More than 1,000 people sang along and danced as The Prelude belted out tunes from Madness to Kings of Leon.
There were also performances of popular songs from smash hit musical Les Miserables by some of the show’s original West End cast members.
Other highlights of the two-and-a-half hour show included Stringfever, the first “genetically modified string quartet”, who did a comedy run through of 175 years of music to mark the anniversary, and musical comedian Kev Orkian.
Local talent was given a chance to shine with Jack White’s Soul Choir and street dance specialists the Dude Crew entertaining the audience.
Lucky guest Lyn Parker (above) walked away with a 14-night P&O cruise.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Port of Southampton’s charity of the year the Hampshire-based Joe Glover Trust, which works with children suffering from cancer.
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