70's rock legends Sweet have announced an extensive UK tour to follow up their sold-out 'Still Got The Rock' European trek. The tour will be presented by Planet Rock in association with The Gig Cartel and gig off on November 28th in Frome. The 16 shows will conclude just in time for Christmas, at Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion on Saturday 21 December.

'The Sweet' as they were originally known were one of the UK's hottest rock bands in the 70's with top ten hits including Blockbuster, Hellraiser, Teenage Rampage, The Sixteens and of course their defining cut, Ballroom Blitz. They soon made waves in the USA as well, with Fox On The Run reaching number 3 in the Billboard 100.

The band were a guiding light for legions of artists across the globe, with Gene Simmons asserting “Without the Sweet there would not have been a KISS" while Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx has said simply, "We wanted to be The Sweet." The band are perhaps best known for their singles, but also had notable albums like  Desolation Boulevard (1975) and Give Us a Wink (1976) while Level Headed, released in 1978, spawned another million-selling worldwide hit, 'Love is Like Oxygen,' written by Andy Scott.

Sadly original lead singer Brian Connolly & drummer Mick Tucker passed away in 1997 and 2002 respectively but Scott remains in the band from their classic 70's line-up. He leads the group, performing guitar and vocals and is joined by Bruce Bisland (drums, vocal) Tony O’Hora (lead vocal, bass) and Paul Manzi (guitar, keyboards, vocal) in a configuration that has been more or less stable since 2006. 51 years on from their formation in 1968 the band continue to tour extensively with one of the best live shows on the circuit.

SWEET – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 UK DATES

Frome Cheese & Grain - Thursday 28 November

Holmfirth Picturedrome - Friday 29 November

Stockton Arc - Saturday 30 November

Nottingham Rescue Rooms - Sunday 1 December

Bury St Edmunds Apex - Thursday 5 December

Warrington Parr Hall - Friday 6 December

Barrow in Furness Forum - Saturday 7 December

Glasgow Oran Mor - Sunday 8 December

Sage Gateshead - Thursday 12 December

Aberdeen Lemon Tree - Friday 13 December

Edinburgh Queens Hall - Saturday 14 December

Clitheroe Grand - Sunday 15 December

Islington Assembly - Wednesday 18 December

Exeter Phoenix - Thursday 19 December

Southampton 1865 - Friday 20 December

Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion - Saturday 21 December

For tickets: www.thegigcartel.com & 24-Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898.

Author: Cameron Arndt

Cameron Arndt is a musician and freelance writer from Glasgow, Scotland. He writes for his own music review website (www.rockandrolltraffic.com) and also contributes to Music Talkers.