BEING a teenager in the ‘80s meant growing up with Wham and George Michael at the start of his solo career.

And I was a fan.

I had the gold disc boxed edition of Wham: The Final, the Choose Life t-shirt, and a teenage crush on Andrew Ridgeley.

But I never got to see them live.

It’s safe to say I’ve never been one for public outpourings of grief when celebrities die, but I can recall exactly where I was, and what I was doing, when I heard the news of George Michael’s passing.

And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hit me.

One of my biggest regrets is not seeing him in concert, so when I got the opportunity to see Faith - The George Michael Legacy, featuring international George Michael tribute artist Wayne Dilks at O2 Guildhall, Southampton – I didn’t hesitate in saying yes.

Stepping into George Michael’s shoes is no easy feat, he was arguably one of the most talented singer/songwriters in the world.

Wilks has performed as George Michael for the last 17 years, and along with his seven piece band and backing singers, he takes a pretty packed out O2 Guildhall audience on a musical journey through 35 years of hit records – from Wham to George’s solo career.

Those hits include Father Figure, Everything She Wants, Praying for Time, A Different Corner, Club Tropicana, I’m Your Man, Faith and Careless Whisper, all supported by video footage playing in the background.

Although the show was seated, the audience were soon up on their feet dancing, swaying and singing along for the whole two hour show.

Yet as Wilks states at the start of the show: ‘there will only ever be one George Michael’, and he’s not wrong there, but if you’re gonna do it - do it right!

Catherine Collins