Sheffield autumn shows line-up includes The Manfreds, RuPaul's Drag Race stars and comedian Clinton Baptiste

Legendary pioneers of British rhythm and blues The Manfreds are appearing with special guest Georgie Fame on October 14. Tour dates are rescheduled from 2020 - all original tickets remain valid.

Manfred Mann formed in London in 1962, quickly finding success with their single 5-4-3-2-1, recorded for ground-breaking TV pop show Ready Steady Go!

The band went on to score three UK number one hits in the UK, as well as 13 more in the Top 10, with their first number one Do Wah Diddy Diddy landing them in the vanguard of the British pop invasion of America alongside The Beatles and The Animals.

Following several more hits including Pretty Flamingo, a song which was often played by Bruce Springsteen during the early years of his career, and Bob Dylan’s Mighty Quinn, by the end of the 60s, the band members had decided to pursue their own separate musical directions.

Several original band members reformed in 1991 as The Manfreds in celebration of Tom McGuinness’ 50th birthday and following a compilation of Manfred Mann’s classic hits.

The line-up features original Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones alongside founding members Mike Hugg and Tom McGuinness. Also joining is Paul Jones’ 1966 replacement Mike d’Abo, responsible for penning the classic tracks Build Me Up Buttercup and Handbags & Gladrags. That song was famously covered by Rod Stewart, Chris Farlowe and Stereophonics and used as the theme tune to the UK TV series The Office.

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Fellow members are Simon Currie and Marcus Cliffe, who have worked with the likes of Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart, and drummer Rob Townsend, formerly of rock band Family.

The group will be performing some of their most loved songs, such as Do Wah Diddy…, Pretty Flamingo, Sha La La, and, of course, 5-4-3-2-1, alongside the hits that brought the artists solo success. This includes Mike d’Abo’s hits and Paul Jones’ I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy, as well as the McGuinness Flint classic When I’m Dead and Gone.

Joining The Manfreds is the iconic Georgie Fame. First shooting into the charts as the founding member of Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames, he went on to achieve 3 UK Number One singles Yeh Yeh, Get Away and The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde. 

Paul Jones said: “Not only is it exciting to think that The Manfreds might actually be able to play together on tour again at last, that the great Georgie Fame will be back with us as well, that our friends and fans, starved of live music from us for so long, will refresh their memories with the real thing once more, but also that these loved, cherished and much-missed venues - and the people who work in and look after them - will once again host us and make us welcome!”

Tickets available at Flyingmusic.com

On November 4, Clinton Baptiste, the hapless, unsubtle psychic from Peter Kay’s comedy Phoenix Nights, makes an appearance.

A series of shows in Vegas have lifted his celebrity status up a notch. Let him take you on a journey from his humble roots via the dazzling heights of Sin City and on to an amazing finale that will heal the world.

On November 5, adult panto Rapunzel! features an drag cast including BBC TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season two finalist Ellie Diamond, Tia Kofi from the same season and US Drag Race series 13 icon Tamisha Iman.

The producers promise: “It’s going to be camp, it’s going to be fabulous and maybe just a little bit filthy too!

“Get ready to let your hair down and enjoy an evening’s hair-lairous adult pantomime entertainment!”

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Regular comedy nights with Last Laugh Comedy Club return to the City Hall on May 28 and 29.

Running in Sheffield for nearly three decades, Last Laugh brings the best stand-up comedy from around the UK and beyond.

There will be a few rules to follow, with reduced numbers and social distancing, but with a fantastic line-up of comedians already confirmed for the opening weekend including Toby Foster, Nina Gilligan, Jack Gleadow and Justin Moorhouse.

Tickets for all shows are on sale at www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor