He has performed in some of the top venues across the world, as part of the ultimate tribute band to Pink Floyd. But for keyboard player Kirk McLeod, Lowestoft will always have a special place in his heart. He is preparing to return to his home town to take to the Marina Theatre stage as part of the popular band Think Floyd.

Kirk lived in Lowestoft until the age of 21, mostly in the Oulton Broad area, and after attending Oulton Broad Primary School, Roman Hill Middle School and Denes High School, in the late 1980s, he played in an originals band called The Bash Street Kids. Kirk then joined Think Floyd as a keyboard player in the autumn of 2013 and will be returning to play at the Marina Theatre on Saturday, March 11 at 7:30pm.

“Lowestoft will always be my home town, even though I haven’t lived there since 1992,” Kirk explained. “I’ve only had the privilege of playing at the Marina once previously (with Think Floyd last year) but attended many events there back in the old days, including Rick Wakeman and Kevin Bloody Wilson, both of whom were brilliant. It’s always great to visit and I’m in Lowestoft a few times each year, gigging and visiting family and friends etc. I probably won’t get a lot of time to look around as we have shows elsewhere before and after, but my parents live very close to Lowestoft and might just be in the audience.”

The show celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s first release, and the new production for 2017 features music from all 15 Pink Floyd albums.

“We pride ourselves on sounding as close to the real thing as possible.” Kirk added. “Being in a position to perform the music of Pink Floyd is a great privilege. It is so varied and unusual and, from a keyboard-player’s perspective, there are lots of different sounds and styles to get involved in. If you’re a lover of Pink Floyd music, we think that you’ll really enjoy our accurate representation of what this legendary band contributed to the world.”

Tickets are priced at £21.50 and to book, call the box office on 01502 533200 or click here to book online.

Ahead of her performance at the Marina Theatre on Friday 3rd March, we caught up with Victoria Jones as she prepares to portray Cilla Black in the exciting show Cilla and the Shades of the 60’s.

Victoria grew up in a musical environment in Liverpool and from a very early age she was a fan of Kylie Minogue. By the time she was 15 she was performing Kylie tracks onstage in a cabaret-style act. Victoria has since worked alongside comedians and actors in a number of shows including the hilarious Escorts – The Musical and she famously unleashed her wild side in the cult rock theatre show Vampires Rock.

In 2014, Victoria began her tribute to the late, great Cilla Black in her one-woman show, Liverbird. Victoria not only has Cilla’s trademark looks and accent she has the voice to match so she was a natural choice for the producers of ‘Cilla and the Shades of the 60s’ for the new 2017 touring show where she will be joined onstage by The Shades.

1. What do you enjoy most about performing Cilla and the Shades of the 60s?
I’ve always adored 60s music as the songs of that era had such a raw sound which I love. I really think I was born in the wrong decade! Performing as Cilla gives me the opportunity to celebrate the fashion and sound of a generation of women who made a real difference in the music industry and across the world.

2. Coming from Liverpool, do you feel a special connection to Cilla?
When I travel around the country being a red headed Scouser I always get compared to Cilla… or Sheridan Smith! I do feel a connection there, she too was a bold girl from a working class background who just loved to perform.

3. Which songs do you know the audience will join in on?
The biggest audience reaction we get is for You’re My World. At that point in the show they’ve been through quite an emotional journey and it is such a powerful number. I absolutely love singing it as it was the first Cilla song I ever performed. Plus it’s one of my dad’s favourites!

4. Who’s your current favourite singer
I love the raspy, power house voices of Lulu and Tina Turner but my favourite current artist has got to be Sia. She expresses so much emotion in her vocal performance and seems to have a never ending range, I really appreciate that she writes all her own songs too.

5. Tell us a fun backstage story
Where do I begin on crazy backstage stories? As most of us have worked together for a long time we’ve accumulated a lot!! We did once get asked if we could do a Spice Girls medley and we thought ‘yeah, why not’. What they didn’t mention was that it was at a funeral!

6. What are you most looking forward to on the tour?
I’m really looking forward to the tour as I can do what I love doing while being on the road with some of my closest friends. Each song is a pleasure to perform, I don’t just feel like a singer, I get the opportunity to use my acting skills too.

Also appearing in the production as The Shades, are Anna Slater, who has worked in some of the most prestigious live music venues in and around London as a lounge singer, Nicola Twardowski who is a professional singer, dancer and choreographer from South Yorkshire and Emily Clark, who has performed as the young Dolly Parton and as the lead rock goddess in Vampires Rock.

Tickets for the show, which starts at 7.30pm, cost £19 for adults, £17 for concessions and £16.50 for Privilege Card holders.

Call the box office on 01502 533200 or click here to book your tickets!

Young people with an interest in theatre shows are being encouraged to attend a new production that will allow them to stand side by side with the performers on stage. ‘Thrive’ will take place at the Marina Theatre at 6pm and 8pm on Tuesday 28th February.

Created especially for teenage audiences, and produced by Zest Theatre, ‘Thrive’ takes on the challenging subject of trauma and beautifully portrays the unsayable. Fusing vibrant contemporary text, movement, spoken word, and beautiful imagery, the audience journey with the characters as the community faces a shared loss.

Developed in collaboration with psychologists and inspired by true stories of young people, ‘Thrive’ is a beautiful and life-affirming look at finding compassion, perseverance and hope in the face of adversity.

A spokesman for the Marina Theatre said: “The show will provide a new theatre experience for audience members, who will have the chance to stand on the Marina stage and feel involved from the opening scene. It is a unique opportunity and we would love for as many people as possible to get involved and join us for what is sure to be an unforgettable evening.”

Tickets are priced at just £10 and to book, call the box office on 01502 533200.