IF THERE are queues around the block near the Brewery Arts Centre over the next few weeks it won’t be for a Harry Potter movie, more to do with a box office scramble for tickets to see the stellar line-up bound for the Kendal arts centre during the coming months.

One of the greatest rock drummers of all time, Carl Palmer, punk legends, The Damned, laughter maker supreme Jack Dee, and celebrated soul sister Mica Paris, are all in the mix as the Brewery marks its 40th anniversary year and stages arguably its best programme in years.

Carl is a drummer’s drummer, renowned for his technical ability and dynamic showmanship.

Along with keyboard wizard Keith Emerson and bass player Greg Lake he was one third of one of the first supergroups of the 1970s - Keith from The Nice, Greg basking in the glory of his success with King Crimson and its iconic In The Court Of The Crimson King album, and Carl a founding member of an increasingly popular Atomic Rooster.

Carl - who also keeps the beat for Asia - calls in at the Brewery on May 19 with his Carl Palmer Band to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ELP’s multi-million selling Pictures At An Exhibition, performing the whole album plus a few other ELP favourites.

Another coup for the Brewery season is the visit of Mica Paris on June 7. Mica burst on to the UK music scene in 1989 with her global smash My One Temptation and the release of her platinum-selling album So Good.

And for those who want to revisit the uproarious days of punk, the Brewery’s programmed two top gigs - Captain Sensible brings punk pioneers The Damned to Kendal for a sweaty night of raucous rock on June 9, while the esteemed Bard of Salford John Cooper Clarke will weave his gritty lyrical magic in the Malt Room on July 6.

Well known for his charting topping tunes such as The Free Electric Band, Albert Hammond also penned and co-wrote many top selling hits for others such as Leo Sayer’s When I Need You and Jefferson Starship’s anthem Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now. Albert plays the Brewery on May 10.

As usual, the Malt Room will be playing host to a fantastic line-up of folk music with top Scottish songstress Karine Polwart appearing on May 17, dance floor fillers Sheelanagig on June 1 and top Irish singer/songwriter Damian O’Kane on June 8.

Theatre lovers will have will have a tasty selection of classic, contemporary and comedy productions to get their teeth into this summer too - Once in a House on Fire based on the gritty Angela’s Ashes-style memoir by Andrea Ashworth while on May 19, football fans can see a hilarious production of Nick Hornby’s homage to soccer obsession Fever Pitch.

To mark Olympic year and London 2012, Spike Theatre will bring acclaimed comedy production the Games - about three Greek athletic heroes caught up in a celestial battle between the Gods - to Kendal on June 20.

Laughter lovers will be delighted to hear that the Freerange Comedy Festival will once again see some of the biggest names in TV and stand-up comedy heading our way for a five-day feast of fun from May 23-27. The line-up includes the doyen of deadpan Jack Dee, livewire Lucy Potter and top television comedian Jeremy Hardy.

In July the Brewery will be celebrating the culture of Japan with a special Bunkasai festival of the best in Manga, Anime and Japanese film, featuring some of the biggest artists in Japan.

Brewery chief executive Richard Foster said it promised to be a spectacular summer season: He added: “We are celebrating our 40th birthday in May so this is a massive year for us so we hope this superb programme will attract as many people as possible down to the Brewery to help us celebrate this magnificent milestone.”

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