MUSIC fans in Worcester are preparing to taking a trip back to the golden musical era of the 60s and 70s as two bands who helped influence future generations of musicians arrive in Worcester.

Both mid-60s rock group The Zombies and 70s punk rockers Eddie and the Hotrods will be wowing audiences both old and young with their timeless tunes.

The St Albans-based Zombies formed in 1961 after keyboardist Rod Argent, guitarist Paul Atkinson and drummer Hugh Grundy met at school in the city.

They then brought in bassist Paul Arnold who in turn introduced them to talented singer Colin Blunstone, whose breathy vocals have graced their hits since.

Their catchy debut single, She's Not There, gave them their first taste of success after being spurred on by winning a local bands competition - The Herts Beats Contest - in 1963.

The song reached number 12 in the UK charts in 1964 and remains as fresh-sounding today as it did then - having been covered by a number of artists over the years including Vanilla Fudge and Santana.

At the time it was also a smash elsewhere across the globe - hitting the top spot in a music chart in America.

Further hits followed including February 1965's Tell Her No and Time of The Season - which was a top five smash hit in America in 1968

Two albums - Begin Here and the deliberately misspelled Odessey And Oracle - were released in 1965 and 1968 respectively - the latter coming out a year after the band split.

The band re-united in 1991, without Argent, for an album called New World - and, 10 years later, Argent teamed up with Blunstone for a new release - Out of The Shadows - and tour.

They have continued to play live shows together since and are no stranger to Worcester, having performed on a number of occasions together in the city.

Their latest show in the city is on Wednesday, February 23, at 8pm with only a few tickets remaining.

Meanwhile, tomorrow night, the Marr's Bar will play host to Eddie and the Hotrods - who formed in Southend, Essex, in the spring of 1975.

The band included Barrie Masters on vocals, Dave Higgs on guitar, Pete Wall on guitar, Rob Steel on bass and Steve Nichols on drums.

The group started to gradually build up a reputation as an explosive live band and unleashed their first single - Writing on the Wall - in 1976.

After the Island record label dropped them in 1979, they were taken up by EMI but split in April 1981 after their album Fish N Chips was largely ignored by a largely ambivalent public.

Band members went their separate ways but various members re-united for tours - including a major string of European shows in 1992.

Now, 30 years after they initially formed - and with 16 45s, six vinyl albums and a plethora of CDs to their name - they are still in business and will be hoping the crowds pack into the Marr's Bar to see them at 8pm tomorrow.

Tickets for the Zombies show are £15 (£14 concessions) while tickets for Eddie and the Hotrods are £5 in advance or £8 on the door.