SLADE & SWEET to Play Lighthouse, Poole, 20 Dec

Those giants of 1970s' glam rock, Slade and Sweet provide a glittering curtain raiser for Christmas at Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts, on Friday 20 December. Tickets: £27.50, £25.50, £23.50, £21.50 Tickets & information 0844 406 8666 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk.

Back by public demand two of the greatest, most exuberant, live bands of the seventies have teamed up again for a major tour. Between them they produced hit after hit and steamrollered their way through the charts. The clothes, the hairstyles, the glorious feel-good factor of it saw them sweep all before them. Outrageous flamboyance and pure unadulterated fun - that was Slade. Glitz, blitz and a dangerous edge - that was Sweet.

While Slade notched up six number ones and a whole host of other top 20 smashes - Coz I Luv You, Mama Weer All Crazee Now, Gudby T'Jane, Cum On Feel The Noize, Far Far Away, Merry Xmas Everybody, My Oh My - they never limited themselves. Having first hit the road in 1966 they went on to become one of Europe's biggest bands with a perfect blend of rock, pop and pomp.

In the early 1980s they were invited to appear at Reading Festival followed by a hugely successful appearance at Castle Donington Monsters Of Rock and another big hit with Radio Wall Of Sound in the early 1990s saw founder members Dave Hill and Don Powell pick up the Slade baton and tour Australia. Since then they've never looked back. Their stage performance is sheer rock 'n' roll.

A genuine pop music phenomenon, Sweet are the quintessential glam rock band. They've spent three years in the UK charts alone and sold more than 55 million records worldwide, including 34 number one hits. Perhaps best known for the barn storming Blockbuster, other massive singles include Wig Wam Bam, Little Willy, Hellraiser, Ballroom Blitz and Teenage Rampage. Fox On The Run was a top three hit in the States and is still one of their biggest singles worldwide closely followed by the musicians' favourite, Action.

Sweet have had a chequered history of illness and, sadly, demise, but a constant throughout is Andy Scott. Joining the band in 1970 he weathered the bumps in the road to maintain the remarkable high energy and soaring vocals that made Sweet the hottest ticket in town.

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