A country and western band who describe themselves as a “bunch of old men having some fun” have reformed after more than 30 years in the wilderness.

The Alabama Hayriders, a five-piece band whose members are now in their sixties and seventies, are from St Neots and Bedfordshire and will perform their first gig for 36 years in Orwell on Saturday. The band is made up of: Terry Vials (drums) Mick McKay (lead guitar) John Davis (steel guitar) Brin Sharpe (base guitar/lead vocals) and John Lindsey (rhythm guitar/vocals).

In their heyday, the band had a huge UK following and were out on the road night after night playing venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and other top venues, but guitarist John Davis confessed to having less energy these days.

“We are just a bunch of old men having some fun, but hopefully some of the magic is still there. We had a terrific following in the old days and we would have been working full-time and playing gigs for 10 nights in a row, had a night off, and then do it all over again. We certainly don’t have the energy to do that these days, but we want to see what happens,” he said.

After tracking down Brin, who had moved away, the band reformed for a charity appearance at the Riverside Park in St Neots and decided to put in some practice with a view to playing some gigs. “It was very nostalgic and a bit sentimental, but we need to get back out there to find out if we can still perform to the standard we want to. The gig on Saturday will tell us a lot,” he added.

INFORMATION: Alabama Hayriders are at Orwell Village Hall on Saturday (December 20). The gig starts at 8pm. Tickets, which cost £6, are available from 07702 131978, or on the door.