TWO highly rated, sought after bands will be centre stage in an inventive new musical alliance.

Merry Hell and the Gerry Colvin Band are the star turns in first collaboration between Ulverston Live Music and Music in Ulpha.

Combined, the two set ups have been promoting live music for nearly 25 years and their opening venture at Ulverston's Coronation Hall on Saturday, October 19 (7.30pm) promises to be brilliant evening of music.

Merry Hell is an eight piece folk rock band who have risen to become festival favourites, their first three albums finding favour with critics, broadcasters and music fans alike.

They are continuing to develop an enviable reputation for the quality of their songwriting, recorded work and live performances.

In 2018 they were voted best band and best live band at the Folk Awards, and the award-winning albums keep coming.

Barrow born Gerry Colvin is one of the region's favourite sons.

In the 1970s Gerry joined The Man Upstairs who released singles and toured with The Smiths. In the 1980s he fronted John Peel’s favourite skiffle-cowpunk indie outfit Terry and Gerry and toured Europe and the USA, appeared on countless radio and television shows, including The Tube and The Old Grey Whistle Test. In the 1990s Gerry worked in Nashville as a professional songwriter and in the UK collaborated on an album project with Alison Moyet and also performed as a comedy double act with Hollywood superstar Mackenzie Crook. He also penned TV themes, musicals, film scores and wrote and presented for BBC Radio 2. In 1993 Gerry toured extensively with The Atlantics, including a slot at Glastonbury Festival where Gerry was compere, and appeared on BBC's Pebble Mill at One. He went on to form the five piece folk band Colvinquarmby. These days Gerry continues to record and release critically acclaimed albums with the Gerry Colvin Band

Any profits from the October 19 gig will go to the Air Ambulance and St Mary’s Hospice.

Music in Ulpha's Paul Sandford said that they were really chuffed to be bringing two of their favourite groups together under one roof and on top of that to do so at such a prestigious venue as the Coronation Hall.

"Our regular attenders will have seen both of these bands separately at the Browfoot Room and, as you can imagine, to get both on the same bill is a real coup for us.

"This idea came together when we bumped into Gerry Colvin at the Cropredy Fringe last year and he thought it a fantastic idea. As both Ulverston Live and Music in Ulpha team members were there, we decided to set it up as a joint venture, knowing how popular both artists are with our regulars."

Box office 01229-587140.