For much of the UK Peaky Blinders events are ten a penny, with theme bars and nights popping up on an almost weekly basis.

But strangely enough the East Midlands had missed out - until Saturday night at the Grand Hotel in Granby Street.

The concept itself is fairly simple and, for the organisers at least, not overly complicated.

Great venue, brass band, dancing girls and a strict dress code.

So hopes were high for a terrific opening night in Leicester that would kick off a programme of similar Peaky Blinders events.

Fortunately for the sold out crowd few were disappointed.

From the moment you entered the venue you were transformed back to the 20s.

The chaps checking tickets (and caps for razor blades) were impeccably turned out and impeccably behaved, setting the mood for a good-humoured evening.

Upstairs burlesque dancer Felicity Furore mingled and had pictures taken with guests, while dancers popped up both in the Kings Hall and Queens Hall next door.

The unpredictable nature of the evening, with terrific performers arriving at a moment's notice, made sure nobody got bored.

Brass band King Brasstards were perfect for the event, despite the fact that a problem with the sound system meant they had to perform without amplification at the start.

The real stars of the show though were the guest themselves.

Almost to a man and woman everyone was incredibly turned out in a variety of 1920s outfits.

Video Loading

With many taking their inspiration from specific characters (hats off to the Alfie Solomons impersonators) it made the event ten times better than it would have been otherwise.

One Mercury reader contacted us to say the bar ran out of Stella, and the audience did thin out quite a bit as the night went on, but this is nit-picking.

I paid £15 a ticket and that's outstanding value for a night where almost all of the 550 punters who attended will have left happy.