It wasn't quite V99 but the TV Hits Twix Roadshow proved just as big a hit.

More than 2,500 screaming youngsters, and some parents, were at the Braintree Towerlands Arena last night to see some of the hottest new talent the pop industry has to offer.

New boy band A1, Braintree's own Next of Kin and ex-Coronation Street heart-throb Adam Rickitt were all performing at the event.

The best set of the night came from Next of Kin. The three brothers, from Braintree, really seemed at home when they kicked off with their hit record 24 Hours From You.

Lead guitarist Mark Bass said: "When we were playing up there I saw some old classmates, who used to hate me at school. Now they're screaming at me."

Soap star turned singer Rickitt headlined the evening with some good dance tracks, including his new single, Everything My Heart Desires which comes out on October 4.

He said: "I love coming to places out of London. London has concerts all the time but when you come to local towns the crowd get a lot more excited and that obviously makes you get a lot more excited."

Irish singing sensation Kerri Ann, who sang, Irreplaceable, the single that knocked U2 off the top spot in Ireland, summed up the evening.

She said: "I just loved it tonight, the crowd were wicked."

One of the Bass brothers from next of Kin performs in Braintree last night

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