When James Arthur won the television talent show The X Factor in 2012, few would have dreamt that fourteen years hence the singer would be even more popular and selling out arenas in the process – not just in his home country but in other parts of Europe where Arthur remains successful.

Whilst other winners of the talent contest have possessed a pop sheen with added glamour, the Middlesbrough-born singer came with a northern grittiness and determination; homeless as a teenager, his songs come from the heart – even now at the sold-out Co-op Arena in Manchester, the emotion in his voice was passionate and intense.

Contrastingly, the opening of his current Pisces tour, so named after his astrological birth sign, was a big, bold and brash affair with the introductory track, Water. As the fans immersed themselves, bathing in the atmosphere, Arthur and his band were a tight unit – their ten years playing together as a band shone through.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere better than Manchester to play as we near the end of the tour; we have saved the best until last," greeted the northeast singer. From anyone else's perspective, this might have seemed rather gushing, but like his repertoire of songs, the sentiment was genuine.

Wearing a denim outfit and fittingly an Oasis T-shirt, Arthur was set to roll with it in the birthplace of the now legendary Manchester band. He didn’t need the swagger and attitude of the Gallagher brothers, though tonight was still a powerhouse of music from the north.

His audience has evolved from the thirty-somethings who originally followed him to now including a younger base, who were probably at junior school when Arthur won the X Factor.

A duet with Yasmin Green, one of his backing singers, on Rewrite The Stars was one of the early highlights in this immersive concert where Arthur had the knack of making the vast arena feel more intimate. The song from The Greatest Showman was a powerful statement of living your dreams that, in Arthur’s case, have come true.

Karaoke from his Pisces album was a chance for four young members of the audience to come up on stage and perform the song with him. As the words of the track appeared on the big screens, the audience sang along with an uplifting enthusiasm – in the process making a memory that the youngsters on stage will never forget.

Of course the final number of the main set was always going to be Impossible the song which he won The X Factor with. The encore ended with a solo performance of Say You Won’t Let Go; again, his intense and soulful vocal gave the evening an even more emotional charge, ending in a roar from the crowd that threatened to outdo the cheers across from the arena at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City were playing, fittingly, Newcastle United. Although the northeast team didn’t win, the clear winner tonight from the region was Arthur and his gifted band.