Radio City Live rocks rafters at Echo Arena

The Echo Arena was rocking to its rafters as Radio City Live provided some early Christmas cheer for a sell-out crowd.

Thousands of screaming fans, mostly teenagers, were treated to a line-up which included JLS, Pixie Lott, The Wanted, and last year's X-Factor winner, Matt Cardle.

Ed Sheeran was the stand-out performer, thrilling the crowd with a brilliant acoustic set despite suffering two broken strings on his guitar.

The only disappointment on an otherwise unforgettable evening was a no-show from singer Jessie J, who pulled out due to "unforeseen circumstances".

She later said on Twitter: "I apologise to anyone who was supposed to see me perform last night. Due to personal reasons I could not attend. I hope you can understand. Thank you to all sending concerns and love. Its needed and appreciated."

The evening was hosted by Radio City's own Breakfast Show DJ, Rossie, who kept the crowd entertained despite a technical hitch which delayed the start of the show.

Jason Derulo opened the entertainment, belting out hit singles 'In My Head' and 'Don’t Wanna Go Home'.

Tinchy Stryder performed a couple of his solo hits before being joined on stage by Dappy from N-Dubz to sing their joint hit 'Spaceship'.

Matt Cardle looked the least comfortable on stage, repeatedly thanking the fans for their support. His vocal performance will have done little to increase his already faded popularity.

Excitement levels reached fever pitch as crowd favourites JLS took to the stage to close the show.
They performed some of their biggest hits ,including 'Eyes Wide Shut', 'She Makes Me Wanna' and 'Everybody In Love', as well as giving the crowd a listen to their new single.

The roof almost came off the Echo Arena as Ashton revealed their tour in 2012 will start in Liverpool.

Despite some technical issues, erratic sound and the non-appearance of Jessie J, few could argue the evening wasn't anything but a huge success.