Mad world as Tears for Fears fans travel across the country to watch band rock Telford

The pop rock veterans, who've racked up timeless hits including Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Mad World and Woman in Chains, were at the QEII Arena in Telford Town Park.

And excited Shropshire revellers were in fine voice as they prepared for the highly-anticipated gig.

Friends Toni Ashton and Fiona Ford, from Wem, were ready to kick up their heels to some classic hits. Fiona said: "I'm a big concert goer. I'm going to Duran Duran next week, then Culture Club, then Queen."

"We're here with our husbands," Toni added. "I don't remember seeing a bigger band than this in Shropshire. We live quite near Alderford Lake so sometimes they have music on there, and we go to the Party in the Park in Shrewsbury."

It wasn't just Salopians who were ready to party, as die-hard Fears fans flocked from across the land.

Gwen Cooper and Darren Hull, of the Tears for Fear Fans Forum (Without the Drama), travelled from Yorkshire and Kent respectively. Gwen said: "We went to see them in California. We must have done about 50 or 60 gigs. I love the music. The lyrics are deep and meaningful a lot of people can relate to them."

Darren, whose dad lived in Telford, said their social media page had quite close links with the band. "The drummer is in it, Curt Smith's brother is in it. There's quite a few of us here in these shirts up at the front."

Dedicated Shaun Whitehouse, originally from Oldbury but now living in Birmingham city centre, explained the lengths he went to on his journey to the Telford performance.

"I cycled to the train station, got the train from Birmingham, then cycled here," he said. "As long as I can make the last train back I'll be alright.

"I've followed them for years," he added. "The didn't perform for a long time so I'm just enjoying them while I can."

Martin and Joy Grech, from Sutton Coldfield, were up at the front, ready to see the stars up close and personal. They enjoyed the opening act, country duo The Shires, who got the crowd singing along to Islands in the Stream.

"We're 80s fans really," said Joy. "We've come for Tears, but the first act has been amazing."

Brightening up proceedings was Shanta Royston-Battaglia, who turned a few heads in her fluorescent fleece.

She was in attendance with friends Hazel Daniel, Paige Daniel and Sharon Mills. The group made the trip all the way from Hampshire and Cambridgeshire.

Hazel said: "I first went to see Tears for Fears in Sheffield in about 1990. They're my band. I've followed them since the start."

Tears for Fears are touring to support their Tipping Point album and sold over 20m albums in the 1980s.

The concert is part of a triple header of gigs this weekend at the venue, with Tom Grennan tonight and multi million selling Canadian rocker Bryan Adams appearing on Sunday.