After a quarter-century of touring, British band Simply Red delivered its Asia swansong in Singapore two nights ago and triggered a full frenzy of fervent fans into party mode.

"Twenty five years, amazing eh?" Someone declared, "I would pay to see them again, anytime!"

"They are at the top of their game. How could they stop now?" An enthusiastic fan exclaimed.

Two cliques of cronies were seen pouring out their feelings over the British band's final curtain call. And they were just one of the many clusters of emotionally-affected zealous fans publicly displaying their passion for Simply Red.

Frankly, Simply Red Farewell The Final Tour was a revelation for me. Firstly, I neither love nor loathe the band and could only hum to one or two of their evergreen classics.

So, watching their swansong concert wasn't exactly an enticing idea to begin with. And, it didn't help that their opening act and the few songs that followed were rather insipid. Well, I've to say I was too quick to judge - what a fantastic night it turned out.

Secondly, this unassuming soul-funk outfit draws a wicked cult-like fan base. Who would have thought Simply Red who once held a prominent presence in the 70s and 80s are still at the top of their game?

Again, I was too quick to judge - frontman Mick Hucknall and his six-piece band brought the house down.

Held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Simply Red was in fine form. Dressed modestly in dark denim jeans, a blue-combo shirt and vest, Mick Hucknall belted out classic pop and evergreen ballads such as "For Your Babies", Something Got Me Started" and 'Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" to a 8,000-strong audience.

"I do love when people sing even if they can't, especially if they can't!" Mick hollered, barely audible over the whooping of their loyal supporters.

Still ferocious after all these years, the band performed their top hits with panache and worked the crowd into a frenzy transforming the space into a colossal indoor "ZoukOut".

Fans, some with one hand in the air and beer in the other, danced and cheered from their seats to the aisle, gyrating to their own boogie style in oblivion.

As with all rock-pop concerts, an encore is de rigueur. After belting out fast track "Fairground", Mick and his band mates sauntered offstage rather abruptly.

And naturally, the audience cheered, howled, whistled and stamped their feet. This went on for a few minutes before the band walked onstage to lots of aggressive cheering. Nick then belted the band's classic hits "Stars" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now" to everyone's delight.

Simply Red Farewell The Final Tour will spell the end of a musical voyage for the long-surviving pop-soul posse but that's not the last we'll hear of Mick Hucknall as the natural flame-haired musician will pursue a solo career and move on to the next leg of his career.

Whether or not Simply Red fans are cult-like, there is no doubt a strong sense of devotion to the band is there.

No supporting acts, no fancy costumes, no dramatic entree nor exit. Just Simply Red delivering a mind-blowing show and bidding a fond farewell to their massive fans.