YOU could say Simply Red are having a renaissance, thanks to their seventh album, Home, which almost topped the charts on its release last month and spawned a Top 10 hit in its Hall and Oates-sampling first single, Sunrise. But, judging by the ecstatic fans at a packed Wembley Arena on Monday night, Mick Hucknall’s soulful songs have never really fallen out of favour. OK, Simply Red’s sales took a dip in 2000, when Love and the Russian Winter stiffed, but that was only a blip.

As though to prove the band’s pedigree, a set that lasted only slightly short of two hours mixed half of Home with countless classics, culled from as far back as 1985, when Simply Red’s debut, Picture Book, saw Hucknall hailed one of Britain’s best singers. Eighteen years on, the voice is still astonishing. At Wembley it was deep and sweet and soulful, bluesy at times, but always pop and, even during the slower songs, never descended into the slushy mush of modern balladeering.

Simply Red, however, will never be hip and, as much as Hucknall obviously enjoyed being on stage, you could tell it was still a prickly issue. Just a few songs into the show, Hucknall couldn’t help having a dig at his critics. “Imagine someone walked up to you in the street and called you old and fat and wrinkly and wondered why anyone would ever fancy you,” he said. “Well, that’s how most of my reviews have read.”

On cue, there was a big boo from fans. Then Hucknall dedicated his next song, Bob Dylan’s Positively 4th Street, to his critics. It was his only mistake all evening. The spiteful lyrics about a two-faced friend should have been spot-on but, good a singer as Hucknall is, he couldn’t convey Dylan’s rage. His version was almost chirpy, thanks to a jaunty brass backing, and he bounced around and smiled as he sang.

In his critics’ defence, Hucknall did look rather rough. Dressed in a pale grey suit and stripy shirt he could have passed for a busker, with his puffy face and unkempt, curly hair. Still, no one cared when he dipped into old hits A New Flame, Something Got Me Started and Stars.

The highlight was Holding Back the Years, the first half of which Hucknall sang alone with an acoustic guitar, but Night Nurse, Come to My Aid, Fairground and Money’s too Tight to Mention were all greeted with mass swaying and a singalong. As Simply Red approach their third decade Hucknall’s songs — if not his waistline — are in good shape.