THE man who fronted one of the biggest bands to come out of Liverpool in the 1960s is heading for the Thameside Theatre.

Gerry Marsden, of Gerry and the Pacemakers, will be at the Grays theatre playing his greatest hits, while also sharing jokes, stories and anecdotes about his time at the top.

Performing with his band Gerry Cross The Mersey - so named after Ferry Cross The Mersey, one of Gerry’s later songs - the 71-year-old will talk about how it all started for him and, of course, play through I Like It and How Do You Do It - which soared to number one in the charts in 1963.

His appearance in Thurrock, on Wednesday, May 14, also comes just four days after the end of the Premier League season - and Liverpool FC, who famously sing another Gerry and the Pacemakers number one, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as the team come out for games, are in poll position to win the league.

So there could be cause for celebration with a poignant and atmospheric version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, bouncing off the Thameside Theatre walls.

Gerry famously sang You’ll Never Walk Alone at the 1989 F.A. Cup final, shortly after the Hillsborough disaster, when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death. Since then, the song has become a powerful anthem for the Reds.

In the 1960s, Gerry and the Pacemakers were managed by Brian Epstein, the same man who managed Liverpool’s other world-famous hit group: The Beatles.

Gerry and the Pacemakers were the second group to be signed by Epstein.

Gerry, will without a doubt, have plenty to talk about in the show, which should be an occasion to remember.

The event begins at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £22 and are available from the Thameside Theatre box office by calling 0845 300 5264.