A crowd estimated as 2,000 strong gathered round the big stage in Eastnor's Deer Park on Sunday for the Symphonic 70s concert, which for many was a dance down memory lane.

The Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra joined forces with Capital Voices to bring the decade back to life, right up to a stunning fireworks finale.

Towards the close of a chilly evening, when Abba and Queen hits were being belted out, perhaps 1,000 dancers were waving their arms in the air before the stage.

But the nature of the Seventies has changed since the decade itself. Now the period is represented by gaudy, shiny glam wigs, which were on sale throughout the evening and were everywhere to be seen, especially on the heads of the forty-somethings.

Now the Seventies, it seems, is a fun time to be sniggered at; a source of some embarrassment, especially if you were young at the time.

This is a pity, because the Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra musicians were working with some stunning arrangements, most notably for the surreal ballad MacArthur Park, and the Capital Singers were just that - capital.

This is not to say that the performances were not appreciated; they were, and the nature of the concert meant exuberance was required and not polite applause and shuffling of programmes.

It is just that now time is sorting the wheat from the chaff, it is becoming apparent that classics were written in the Seventies.

It is good that such a quality orchestra, under the baton of Roderick Dunk, is able to perform the best arrangements to so many people, in the spirit of genuine celebration.

Gary Bills-Geddes