CELEBRATED musician Phil Beer, who has recorded with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Mike Oldfield, will be packing his 'musical family' into a tour bus and heading to Bromsgrove.

Organisers hope the arrival of The Phil Beer Band tour bus at the Artrix venue will ensure that "levels of excitement among local music fans go through the roof".

A spokesman said: "Celebrated multi-instrumentalist and ‘bon viveur’ Phil Beer will be appearing with what he describes as his ‘musical family’."

Phil explained: "It all started back in the early 1980s. Our village hall in Gloucestershire needed a ceilidh band so I recruited a bunch of mates and off we went”.

The spokesman added: "Nobody expected the band members to reach such dizzy heights in their respective careers, least of all Phil himself who is now generally regarded as one of the finest folk/rock musicians around.

"As well as being half of 'Show of Hands', he has recorded with The Rolling Stones, Steve Harley and Mike Oldfield amongst a legion of others. His fellow band members have also carved out hugely successful careers either as soloists or as members of other top folk and rock bands."

So, what draws musicians back together when they are all so busy elsewhere?

Phil said: "We are a family, and all families have reunions. We catch up with each other’s news. We laugh together and play music together, and in so doing we remind each other why we started doing this over thirty years ago. It’s a glorious musical celebration of enduring friendship. Even our road crew and our support band 'The Hawthornes' are family. It’s the most joyous, exhilarating highlight of my musical calendar”.

The show comes to the Artrix on Thursday May 4.

Tickets at 01527 577330 or www.artrix.co.uk