HAPPY Mondays rolled back the years – apparently that's all they roll these days – as they lit up the joint in Dunfermline with a stunning show.

The band took to the Alhambra Theatre stage on Friday night for a crowd-pleasing gig as their Greatest Hits Tour played to a packed house.

The lovable rogues at the forefront of Madchester have grown older – and wiser? – but singer Shaun Ryder had promised the Press beforehand they'd be "better than ever" as the "sex and drugs have gone and now it’s just the rock ‘n’ roll".

And they certainly didn't disappoint with Hallelujah, Step On, Wrote for Luck, Loose Fit, Kinky Afro, 24 Hour Party People and old favourites like Mad Cyril just some of the songs that received a rapturous response.

I've loved the Mondays ever since I first saw them, on one of those obscure TV shows championing 'indie' music, with the video for Step On showing Shaun Ryder peering into the camera and pushing his hair behind his ears as he shuffled and sang in the sunshine next to a giant letter E.

I was captivated from then on. That was 1990.

I've followed their rollercoaster ride since, the gigs, the songs, the truly crazy escapades and fall-outs, and now they're back.

OK, so some of the Mondays look like the worst advert for a life of drugs and excess but, on the other hand, there can't be many of us who look better now than we did three decades ago.

There was a distinctly 'mature' look to many of the fans who joined the queue that snaked back along Canmore Street prior to the gig, but the band proved a big draw to the 'young team' too.

Shaun kept what looked like a too small baseball cap perched on his head throughout and rocked the 'security guard' look, clad all in black and swaying back and forward on the spot.

Bez, sporting shorts and with that manic smile on his face, was throwing shapes and shaking his maracas but even his boundless energy seems to have waned a tad and he took a breather off-stage through some of the songs.

Rowetta was excellent, what a singer she is, and it all blended together in a mash of noise and lights. You don't realise just how many top tunes the Mondays have and how good they sound when it all comes together.

OK, it wasn't flawless, but when were they ever?

So there was the odd lyric missed, the set list seemed to be taped to the monitor so Shaun knew what was coming next and there was a false start or two, but no-one cared.

They bantered through it all, chatting amongst themselves and to the crowd, obviously enjoying the vibe they'd created in front of a Friday night crowd that still loved them and was ready to party.

He promised a brilliant show and yep, they delivered. Hallelujah for the Mondays.