Audience tickets to TV's Later With Jools Holland are about as rare as hen's teeth, but local music lovers will have the chance to see the next best thing - when a new gig night strikes up in Gorleston. The Room is based on the hit TV show and will host local bands Groove Doctors, Lot 55, and Rivers - with house band The H Gang dishing the polish between the groups' sets.
 | | Lot 55. Photo by Andy Slade |
The event will take over the Ocean Rooms on Gorleston seafront on Friday, 4 May - the same night as Later With Jools Holland returns to BBC2. Four stages At The Room, four stages will be commanded by each of the bands, with the focus going back and forth between them. Friday's show is the first of six planned monthly events. Promoter Howard Marshall, from Gorleston, hopes the eclectic mix of bands will open up new music to gig-goers' ears. "The idea is to give lots of different bands a reasonably sized venue of their own and to get bands seen by different crowds," he said. Howard has honed his skills over the years as one of the organisers of Gorleston's summer cliff top gala, which offers a line-up of around 20 bands over two days. New challenge The Room will be a further test of Howard's talents as he'll be getting up on stage for the first time to compere the show. Despite the first night nerves over stepping into the spotlight, the show's been a long time in the planning. The Ocean Rooms got the ball rolling after they approached Howard because of his involvement in the gala - and it was all the impetus he needed. "This is something I've had in my mind for six years or so," he said. "The trouble I've had is finding the right venue as it had to be large enough for all the stages but intimate enough for the crowd." A crossover of indie rock, pop, blues and funk will fill the venue on the launch night, with guest singers and musicians also expected to perform with the house band. Doors open at 8pm, with bands running from 9.15pm to around 12.30am. DJs will then take over until 2am. Admission is £5. | 
