BLACKBURN rocked in the sunshine yesterday as 10,000 people flocked to see Blue - Britain's biggest boy band - wow Ewood Park.

Families, groups of excited teenagers and couples, some of whom had been waiting for hours, filled the stadium within minutes of the gates opening.

And they enjoyed a five-hour music extravaganza, featuring a mix of well known bands, including ITV's Popstars winners Girls Aloud as well as local talent.

The ground was filled with whistles, horns and screams as colourful banners, photographs and cuddly toys were waved in the air.

To deafening screams, shouts and whistles, Lee, Anthony, Simon and Duncan, dressed in slashed denim and brightly coloured T-shirts began a virtual non-stop medley of their greatest hits during an hour-long set.

Backed by four energetic female dancers the group performed some of their best known hits including Guilty, All Rise, I Swear and Bubblin'.

As teddy bears, flags and whistles were flung on to the stage, the foursome waved to the screaming crowd, many of who were in tears.

Group joker Lee climbed the scaffolding at the side of the stage to sing to the crowd, while the remaining three urged people to join in singing and waving their hands.

At the end of the set, and with only the shortest of breaks, the foursome returned to perform a crowd-pleasing two-song encore including crowd favourite One Love.

Excited Blue fan Beki Smith, 15, of Ramsgreave Drive, Lammack, said: "We bought tickets at 7am on the day they went on sale and me and my friends have been really excited.

"We got here at 9.30am, even though the gates didn't actually open until 3.30pm. As soon as they opened we ran down so we could stand at the front."

Friend Rachel Heatley, 16, of The Pastures, Beardswood, said: "I've been to watch Blue seven times now. I can't get enough of them and always cry." Katie Rawlings, 15, of Highfield Street, Langho, said: "Six of us got tickets to watch Blue and we have had a really good day.

"I have seen them before and Simon and Lee are our favourites.

"We arrived at 1pm so that we could get to the front of the stage."

Earlier, the warm-up show kicked off at 4pm when local solo artist Dominic Paul performed a 20-minute set of his own tracks and cover versions. Boy band Freefaller got the tightly packed crowd moving and they were followed by energetic performances from girl-duo Flash Jane and all female trio Genie Queen.

Diva Cleo - one third of former teen hit wonders Cleopatra - was next up on stage to add a soulful twist to the afternoon, while Speedway's set ended with a impressive cover of Christina Aguilera's hit Genie in a Bottle.

One of the biggest cheers of the day was reserved for five-piece band V.S. who took to the stage with an energetic performance combining rap, hip hop and pop.

With just an hour to go before the headline act, Girls Aloud - winners of Popstars: The Rivals - took to the stage to a massive roar from the crowd.

Their first song was a cover of the Duran Duran classic track 'Girls on Film', followed by chart-topping No Good Advice and Jump and Sound of the Underground.

The one-off concert was organised by Rock FM in conjunction with Blackburn Rovers.