A COLLIERY brass band has been delighted to be asked to join the legendary co-founder of Eurythmics on stage for his 65th birthday.

Easington Colliery Brass Band manager Peter Lawson thought it was joke at first when he got a call from Dave Stewart inviting them to play at his homecoming gig at Sunderland Empire Theatre, on Sunday, September 10.

But he soon realised it was genuine and he and fellow players jumped at the change to play.

Mr Lawson said: “We are delighted. It will be a great honour. “It comes out of the blue at very short notice.

“Dave phone me two weeks ago and we weren’t sure whether it was true or not. But his production company assured us it was.

“He came to see us in our band room and told us all about the show in his home town.

“The concert is part of his 65th birthday celebrations and he chose the band to play with him due to his Sunderland mining roots. He wanted a brass band to be part of his birthday party.”

Mr Lawson said the superstar had asked them to accompany him on two of his songs on the evening. They are When The Day Goes Down and This Little Town.

“He brought his acoustic guitar and laptop with some of his music. One of his friends in the US is part of The Pitmen Poets, who is coming over to be part of the evening.”

The band is already busy on the day, with the Dr Martin contest in Yarm, where they will be playing a piece written by another famous Sunderland-born composer, Edward Gregson - Of Distant Memories.

Mr Lawson said: “It was going to be difficult to do both but we have managed to work it out timewise.”

The band was in 1915 by the miners and supported by them until the colliery closure in 1993. Now mainly self-supporting through concerts and donations, the band is sponsored by Mr Michael Watt - owner of Lond’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Alongside singer Annie Lennox, Dave achieved worldwide fame in the 1980s and 90s with a string of hits, including Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and There Must Be An Angel (Playing with my Heart)

His writing credits include songs for artists including Bono, Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry and Joss Stone, as well as for musical Ghost.

Tickets priced from £31.25 to £61.25 are available from 0844-871-3022 or www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland.