TOP musicians Paul Jones and Dave Kelly will be heading to Chipping Sodbury as a precursor to the town's annual jazz and blues festival.

The pair have been signed up by organisers of the festival, which started in 2011 and was an instant success.

Paul Jones, the Manfred Mann frontman and Radio 2 broadcaster, and fellow Blues Band member Dave Kelly will play in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall on April 23, a few weeks before the main festival opens

Stuart Hobday, one of the team of organisers, said: “Our aim is to bring top artists to the town itself, because it costs so much to attend a concert in Bristol or Bath.

"We also know there’s nothing quite like seeing a great musician or singer performing in your own town.”

The festival originally started as a jazz festival, hosting the likes of Jacqui Dankworth, Digby Fairweather, Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band, Brian Carrick's International New Orleans Band and the late Kenny Ball.

It has been extended to feature blues music for the first time this year when it runs from June 5-8.

Mr Hobday said: "We intend to continue to bring the highest standard of musicians that we can to play here so we’re staging the pre-festival evening of great acoustic blues.

”This really will be an evening not to be missed."

Tickets cost £22.50 and £20 can be ordered by emailing info@visitchippingsodbury.com or calling 01454 334410.