A BAND which has played in China and regularly raises the roof of Middlesbrough Town Hall was the headline act at a school’s 60th birthday celebration.

The Wildcats of Kilkenny performed at Newcomen Primary School, in Redcar, as part of a family fun day which featured a barbecue and events including archery, rock climbing, juggling and unicycling.

There was also a slide show in the hall documenting the school through the ages.

Wildcats frontman Mike McGrother, who has a background in education and the arts, has been working with pupils on a musical collaboration.

“The school has a really inclusive approach to music making and I have loved helping them explore the decades since the school opened wit by creating a very special song journey for the day,” he said.

“Merging the songs of Frankie Valli with Emeli Sande and teaching them material by the likes of The Carpenters, Bob Dylan and The Proclaimers has been a wonderfully fun experience and I couldn’t wait to hear it all on the day itself.”