Win! Tickets to see Graham Parker and Brinsley Schwarz live at the Drill Hall

He will be at Lincoln Drill Hall on 21st April where he will be joined on stage by fellow band member Brinsley Schwarz.

And we have two pairs of tickets to give away for the show.

Parker’s energetic performances - along with the wittily class-conscious spirit of his critically acclaimed debut album Howlin’ Wind - preceded the arrival of punk rock and new wave music.

His quirky-blue-collar image is often believed to be a major influence on the public persona of many British musicians, most notably Elvis Costello, Paul Weller and Joe Jackson.

The Rumour formed in 1975 and although deemed too edgy for the traditional rock scene and too traditional for the emerging punk wave, they were critically acclaimed and are remembered for their incendiary live performances.

The band re-formed a couple of years ago to record a new album, Three Chords Good, and took to the road.

Now, fresh from the excitement around that release they return with another new album, Mystery Glue, on 18th May, again featuring the original line up of Graham Parker, Bob Andrews, Brinsley Schwarz, Martin Belmont, Andrew Bodnar and Stephen Goulding.

Parker’s song writing prowess and live intensity has been hailed as a major influence in some of rock’s greatest names, including legends like The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, who is quoted as saying: “Graham’s music was always aggressive sounding because of his voice.”

“He always had that caustic attitude that he balanced with tremendous soul and warmth so it was a beautiful combination of things.”

“There was a hint of a chip on his shoulder but when you got underneath it, there was Fools Gold, Black Honey, these things were just filled with such soul and such beauty there was a beautiful tension between those things.”

“This guy combines the best of Van Morrison, Eric Burdon and John Lennon.”

“He’s the only guy around right now I’d pay money to see.”

Graham Parker and Brinsley Schwarz are at the Drill Hall on Tuesday, 21st April at 7.30pm.

Tickets priced £22 are available now from the box office on 01522 873894 or online at www.lincolndrillhall.com

However, we have two pairs of tickets to give away to the lucky readers who can answer this simple question: What is the name of Graham Parker’s band? a) The Rumour, b) The Gossip or c) The Murmur?

Send your answer, together with your name, address and daytime contact number, to Graham Parker Competition, Gainsborough Standard, 21-27 Ryton Street, Worksop, Notts, S80 2AY, or email [email protected]

The closing date for entries is Thursday, 9th April.