Ref. 30782-32Eighties pop star Paul Young stepped on stage at the Old Town Bowl wearing a straw Stetson and cradling a Mexican guitar.

Times have changed since Young dominated the charts as a spiky-haired youth with a cover of Marvin Gaye's Wherever I Lay My Hat.

But if the gaggle of thirtysomething groupies who rushed to the front in anticipation of his entrance were anything to go by, the ageing popster still has what it takes to get hearts racing.

On Saturday, Young was in Swindon with his band Los Pacaminos, performing a mix of Tex Mex classics, Spanish songs and their own material.

It was the first in a season of open-air World Music Concerts at the Town Gardens, and attracted a near sell-out audience.

Speaking during the interval, 48-year-old Young admitted that Tex Mex, which he describes as "rock and roll with a Mexican twist", was a strange choice for a 48-year-old pop star from Luton.

"When we sent our album to a label in Texas they were pretty shocked," he said.

"But they knew we were serious. About 10 years' ago I went to Mexico and renewed my interest in the music I still love performing."

Young was full of praise for the Bowl itself.

"The sound is perfect and our music is meant to be played in the open air it's not suited to sit-down theatres," he said.

Sure enough, the band soon tempted the audience away from their picnics and on to the dancefloor, and the gardens filled with couples wiggling their hips as the sun went down.

The concert held a special significance for Karen Miller from Lechlade.

The 42-year-old, enjoying a picnic with her family in front of the stage, saw Young play in London in the early 1980s.

"He was one of my heart-throbs," she said.

"He was young, vibrant and sexy, and now he's a sad old so-and-so playing Tex Mex," she joked. "But it's great for Swindon he's here."

Judging by the mixed audience at Saturday's gig, Young's appeal stretches much wider than his die-hard fan base.

From the children running around the gardens in delight to the elderly with their neatly cut sandwiches and the young couple enjoying a cigarette under a tree, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

For information about future Bowl concerts go to www.swindon-artscape.co.uk or call 01793 530328.

Andy Tate