JUDAS PRIEST Rock On For TOMMY VANCE

Emma Midgley of ictheWharf.co.uk is reporting that JUDAS PRIEST's tribute gig for former Virginia Quay resident Tommy Vance on March 31 will raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Cabot Square bank's official charity.

The gig will be held at the Royal Albert Hall next Friday and will play tribute to the Radio 1 DJ who presented the "Friday Rock Show" for 15 years.

Tommy, who died of a stroke last year aged 64, was as much a friend to the bands he supported as he was to the listeners of his show. Rob Halford, lead singer of band JUDAS PRIEST, who headline the show, said: "Tommy was a great friend and supporter of PRIEST from our early years and we will never forget the kindness and energy he bestowed not only to us but to so many musicians in the U.K. in getting the message out through his radio shows.

"We would listen to him rave about all kinds of bands and through him every rock and metalhead kept an ear wide open to the new talent he would bring us first. So, as this night approaches, we will all be thinking about him and thanking Tommy Vance from the stage and the audience. Rock on Tommy!"

SCORPIONS, Ian Gillan of DEEP PURPLE fame and friends will also be playing at the concert, which is described as "the mud-soaked fields of the Donington Festival temporarily transferred to the leafy streets of Kensington."

The Teenage Cancer Trust was set up to focus on the particular needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin's and related diseases. It builds special units, developed and decorated to cater for teenage needs.