By Duncan Eaton

LEGENDARY entertainer Joe Longthorne whose road to stardom began in Hampshire and one of the most famous boy bands of the nineties are heading to Eastleigh’s Concorde Club.

A multi-talented singer and impressionist, Longthorne began his career with appearances on Junior Showtime and cut his teeth on the tough northern club circuit.

But his big break came in the early eighties when he was a finalist in London Weekend Television’s Search for A Star.

Auditions for the iconic TV programme were held at the Saints Supporters’ Club at the old Dell.

Longthorne was one of the hopefuls and it did not take the judges long to spot his star potential. And as they say the rest is showbiz history.

The 61 year-old entertainer stops off at Eastleigh’s Concorde on November 10 as part of his UK tour.

During his rise to fame the popular Yorkshireman, who has an army of fans, has battled against illness including life threatening leukaemia.

In 2006 he was at his most seriously ill when he underwent a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

Later that year he performed to a sell out audience at the London Palladium and in 2007 was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Variety Club of Great Britain.

And in 2012 Joe received the MBE from The Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Another major coup for the Stoneham Lane Club is the signing of iconic boy band East 17 who check into the Concorde on August 19.

Founded in 1992, the group's name came from the postcode for Walthamstow.

The band notched up 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the most famous acts in the world during the early to mid 1990s.

In contrast to the wholesome boy band image, East 17 were seen as grittier and more real, blending rap and pop in songs such as House of Love and Steam, and also tackled political issues with tracks like Let It Rain.

Their 1994 single Stay Another Day remained at the top for five weeks and was also that year's Christmas Number 1. It is still a classic Christmas anthem.

For more information ring 02380613989 or www.theconcordeclub.com