THE Zombies and The Yardbirds, two great seminal bands whose musical influence reverberates to this day, will perform at Gateshead's Sage on June 1.

Strangely, it's the first time the two outfits have toured together.

The Zombies were part of the 1960s British invasion of America and gained two US No 1s. The keyboard wizardry of Rod Argent and the distinctive voice of Colin Blunstone set them apart.

Their final album Odessey And Oracle (80th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, 32 on NME's Top 100 British Albums) has been an acknowledged influence on acts such as Super Furry Animals, Paul Weller, REM and The Thrills to name but a few.

The Yardbirds' hallowed ranks have included Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and, more recently, Gypie Mayo.

Together with rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarthy, they created driving rock out of standard 12 bar blues and experimented with feedback, sustain and fuzztone. In 1992 the band were inducted into the RockN'Roll Hall Of Fame and three years later reformed with Detroit-born John Idan replacing lead singer Keith Relph, who electrocuted himself in 1976.

As edgy as ever and an inspiration to younger musicians - the White Stripes played some of their songs at the Royal Festival Hall - the Yardbirds' new material connects effortlessly with their original providing what should be compulsory listening for any aspiring band.

■ The Zombies and The Yardbirds: Sunday, June 1, 7.30pm, Gateshead, The Sage. Box Office: 0191-443-4661 Tickets: £19.50-£29.50 TOP North-East tribute act Limehouse Lizzy present a stirring tribute to Philip Lynott and Thin Lizzy, and are currently riding the wave of a Thin Lizzy renaissance which brings them to Newcastle's Academy on Friday, April 4. Last year saw them complete their Dedication tour culminating in the band being featured and interviewed in the BBC2 Arena documentary Into the Limelight. The the band's websites www.limehouselizzy.com and www.myspace.com/limehouselizzy has footage from the programme and more will be added in the coming months.

Box Office: 0191-260-2020 THE North-East's only tribute act to the southern rock music of the US, Dirty South, will be performing for free at the Grand Hotel, South Church, Bishop Auckland, on Saturday, from 7.30pm. Highlights include: Dirty South Ale, specially brewed for the band's anniversary, raffle of a signed cowboy hat and a bottle of Jack Daniels (in aid of Cancer Research), Tex Mex Food and western fancy dress as optional.

The Dirty South have worked tirelessly for the last 12 months to recreate the sound of artists such as Lynyrd Skynryd, ZZ-Top, Black Foot, Molly Hatchet and Steve Earle and are delighted to have established an audience in the region.