Live music at Guildhall before £3.9m upgrade

LIVE music is returning to Plymouth’s Guildhall ahead of its £3.9m transformation into a major entertainment venue, with an appearance by the UK’s top Michael Bublé theatre tribute show. Magnificent Bublé, which features a 12-piece big band behind Devon-based vocalist James Billington, will be at the Grade II listed city centre landmark on December 18 as part of a regional tour.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

The show will be especially themed around Christmas – with the real-life Canadian superstar famous for his festive hits, including It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.

The tour kicks off at Exmouth Pavilion on December 4, and then takes in Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham, Swindon and Seaton, before the finale in Britain’s Ocean City.

Mr Billington stressed that he and the band are all from the South West. He said: “Some of the country’s top musicians celebrate the music, the arrangements and the tours that the man himself has made so successful.

“This show is really superb and deserves large audiences but, also, the audiences deserve a fabulous night of feel-good good music and this festive Bublé-style show will give that.”