HORDES of screaming pop fans helped McFly soar above their pop rivals on Friday night.

The foursome -- fronted by Astley Bridge-born Danny Jones -- laid on a stunning show of high-energy but tuneful guitar pop in front of a frenzied crowd.

Danny, Tom, Harry and Dougie were in Manchester as part of their month-long tour to promote best-selling debut album Room on The Third Floor.

And they cemented their place as one of the best live pop acts around.

Thousands of fans -- mainly teenage girls -- crammed into the Manchester Apollo to witness what, for 18-year-old Danny, was something of a homecoming.

"By the way, it's good to be home," he announced to a huge cheer before the band launched themselves into latest single That Girl midway through the evening.

From the minute warm-up act 24/7 had left the stage, the anticipation grew and grew.

Launching into the first two songs of the night, which included their second Number 1 single Obviously, Danny and Tom played the crowd with his wild guitar style and tosses of his trademark shaggy locks.

The band barely took breaths between each frantic number. They won an ecstatic reception when they belted out Surfer Babe, the excited fans singing every word to this and all the other tracks from the album they rattled out during the hour-long set.

The performance of the song demonstrated the sort of sun-kissed melodies that have drawn comparisons with the Beach Boys.

After playing Room on The Third Floor, which will be the band's next single, Danny thrilled home town contingent in the crowd by announcing: "This is a song all the way from Bolton" before taking centre stage for Not Alone.

Their own energetic take on She Loves You by The Beatles was yet another reminder of where they draw most of their influences from.

The biggest roar of the night came when McFly leapt into their debut single Five Colours In Her Hair to send their legions of fans home happy.