HE may have become accustomed to the number two slot but Gordon Haskell is getting ready to move up a place when he returns to Ipswich.After appearing as the support act at a gig at the town's Manor Ballroom last summer and then losing out on the coveted Christmas number one to Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman, the unlikely star is now preparing for a solo headlining tour.

HE may have become accustomed to the number two slot but Gordon Haskell is getting ready to move up a place when he returns to Ipswich.

After appearing as the support act at a gig at the town's Manor Ballroom last summer and then losing out on the coveted Christmas number one to Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman, the unlikely star is now preparing for a solo headlining tour.

And it was announced today that on May 9 Haskell will take to the stage at the Regent for a live performance.

While the 55-year-old has been in the music business as a singer/songwriter for more than 30 years it was only at the end of last year and thanks to his single How Wonderful You Are that his name became familiar.

Even before the acoustic ballad was officially released it had surpassed The Beatles' Hey Jude and Frank Sinatra's My Way to become the most requested record ever aired on BBC Radio 2.

Haskell was pulled from relative anonymity as people cottoned on to the fact that an unknown star was about to give Robbie and Nicole and their cover of the Frank and Nancy Sinatra track, Somethin' Stupid, a run for their money for the Christmas number one spot.

The position at the top of the charts may have remained elusive but it was enough to secure him a following of fans who eagerly awaited the release of the album, Harry's Bar.

These same fans will no doubt grab the chance to see him live when he performs at East Anglia's largest theatre.

The gig will be a far cry from his first performance in Ipswich. In June last year he was second on the bill at the Manor Ballroom, supporting Robbie McIntosh.

He is still touring with McIntosh but on April 29 heads off on the road with a backing band in tow to start his 29-date tour of the country.

And Gordon Haskell is not the only star to announce he is heading this way.

On May 24 comedian Freddie Starr will take to the stage at the Regent.

Freddie spent his youth mixing with some of Liverpool's most notorious gangsters but grew into one of the country's most popular funny men.

Famed for notorious headlines such as Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster he has also enjoyed a successful recording career and performances in front of the world's biggest names.

n Tickets for Gordon Haskell's performance at 7.45pm on May 9 are on sale now priced £17.50 and £15.50. Tickets for Freddie Starr at 8pm on May 24 are also on sale now priced £16.50 and £15.50.

To book your seat visit the Central Box Office, Princes Street, Ipswich, call 01473 433100 or book online at www.ipswich-ents.co.uk

Weblink: www.haskell.co.uk