Bury band Elbow will play a special festive concert with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and fans can apply for free tickets to be in the audience.
The exclusive Christmas concert was today announced by BBC North, and it will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 6 Music and the BBC Red Button on Thursday 21 December at 3pm.
The gig will take place at the BBC Philharmonic Studio at MediaCityUK at Salford Quays, and fans can apply for audience tickets which will be allocated by a random draw when the ballot closes at 2pm on Thursday December 7.
The afternoon concert will be hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie and if you miss it on the day, it will also be available to watch again on the Red Button from 21-26 December and also on BBC iPlayer.
The set list will be from Elbow’s latest studio album Little Fictions, alongside classic tracks from their recently released ‘Best Of’ compilation including Grounds for Divorce and One Day Like This. There will be a special Christmas treat too, with the Hallé Youth Choir adding seasonal sparkle.
Guy, who presents a weekly Sunday show on 6 Music - Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour, said: "There’s just something lovely about having an orchestra play your work and interpret your music.
"We are really looking forward to doing it, it means I get to come home to my beloved Manchester again and see the BBC in Salford. It’s just such a lovely thing to do so close to Christmas.
"The fact that it’s live and is being broadcast on BBC 6 Music and on the Red Button adds another layer of excitement too.”
Audience tickets are available now via the BBC Shows and Tours website. The ticket ballot will close at 2pm on Thursday 7 December and tickets will be allocated by random draw.
Elbow were winners of the 2008 Mercury Music Prize for their fourth studio album, the multi-platinum selling The Seldom Seen Kid and the 2009 BRIT Award for Best British Group, the band have forged a career over two decades that has established them as one of the most respected musical forces of current times.
They have twice held the red button record for ‘on demand’ viewing; firstly, with the BBC Concert Orchestra for Radio 2 in a special performance of The Seldom Seen Kid from Maida Vale studios and this year with their surprise set at Glastonbury’s Park Stage.
The band worked with the BBC Philharmonic in 2012 on First Steps, the corporation’s official theme music for the London 2012 Olympics.
The BBC Philharmonic is based at MediaCityUK in Salford, performing regular live concerts for BBC Radio 3 as well as other BBC networks from its recording studio. It also has a full concert series at The Bridgewater Hall and tours regularly around the North as well as internationally too.
To apply for tickets, see here
