PLATINUM-selling band The Three Degrees will be stopping in Melksham as part of their new UK tour, celebrating 50 years of performing in the music industry.

The Philadelphian band, known for songs such as When Will I See You Again and Free Ride, will be bringing their soulful vocal talents to the Assembly Hall in Melksham Market Place on March 28, one of the five UK shows they will be doing in their tour.

Valerie Holiday, member of The Three Degrees, said: “For us, it is still exciting and we still enjoy our work, we are blessed with a wide age group appeal, from fifteen to sixty-five. This is why we have survived, I think. We learned and were taught how to entertain and even before we had hit records, we knew how to do our job- our choreography, our costumes, the lights, these were all things that we learned at an early age.”

Formed in 1963, the band hit worldwide fame in the UK and the US, Japan and a large number of countries in the EU, placing 11 singles in the UK top 40. Regional publicist Helen O’Brien explained how the band decided to do a run of smaller shows to give an intimate feel to their performances, allowing a stronger connection with the audience.

Helen Scott, also of The Three Degrees, said: “We have opened a lot of doors for other entertainers. In some cases, we may not have always succeeded but we have never given up. It still amazes me when we see teenagers singing along with our songs. And yet we still have the fans who have grown with us.”

Tickets for The Three Degrees’ show in Melksham are now on sale for £25 each and are available from the Assembly Hall on 01225 709887 or by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk.