Thrill of a lifetime for Reytons fan

They noticed 10-year-old Mikey Doherty in the crowd and urged their rocking followers to take care around him.

Then they spotted he knew every word of their set list and invited him on to the stage.

Mikey and his family were later treated to a trip backstage and a tour of their bus.

The youngster's mum Julie said it had been the best weekend of their lives.

After returning home from Cologne, she said: "I still can't believe it happened, it was amazing."

The 43-year old mum explained that her daughter Phoebe (14) had been the first in the family to be attracted to the Indie Rotherham band.

"She just loved the music on TikTok and went to the gig at Clifton Park.

"We started to love it too and me and my fella to see them last year in Cologne. We love the fact they are self made; you might not see them on TV or hear them on the radio but they are part of a great community.

"Cologne was a small, intimate venue last year but we really liked the vibe and wanted my kids to experience it when they went back again.

"They chose the same venue so me, Phoebe and Mikey, and my partner Brendan and his son Kieran decided to go," said Julie, from Westhoughton, near Wigan.

"We got there early and instead of going to the bar like most people we headed to the front.

"As soon as the lads came on they saw Mikey and Jonny (Yerrell) was so lovely telling the crowd to be careful as there was a small lad there and to be careful he wasn't pushed.

"In fact he told Mikey he could jump on the stage if he felt under pressure.

"You don't get that at every gig!

"When Jonny let him on stage, he told everyone that Mikey knew every word of the songs – I think he was impressed. He said Mikey should join the band for a beer afterwards!

"Lee (Holland) gave him a guitar pick and even let him sing a line from '2006'! They also gave us a set list to keep."

The fun didn't stop there.

The group ensured the family could visit them backstage and gave them a guided tour inside their bus.

"Some of the 'Greytons' a bunch of die-hard fans, couldn't believe we'd got the invite," said Julie.

"It was so cute, we were in there looking at where they ate and watched TV on the bus. It was amazing – they gave us the best weekend of our lives.

We can't wait until we seem them at Tramlines (July in Sheffield)."

Julie said Mikey can be quite shy but was more than confident enough to go on stage.

"When I asked him what it was like, he just told me he could see lots of heads! There were hundreds there in the crowd."

Julie said Mikey had his own musical interests and was learning to play 'Red Smoke' on his guitar.