The Daily Echo were invited to see one of Southampton's favourite bands in rehearsal for a one-off gig. 

Band of Skulls were putting the final touches to their set ready for tonight's show at NST City. 

The collaboration with new professional orchestra The Space Between is a "civic gig" featuring city folk songs as well as a some of Skulls' best loved tracks from their back catalogue.

With string arrangements by Spiritualized's Tom Edwards it's the first in a series of collaborative projects that will see head of Southampton University's jazz and pop department Dan Mar-Molinero bring the new orchestra and some of the city's best loved artists together. 

And in line with tomorrow's FA cup semi-final, tonight's set features a version of Gutta Percha's It's Great To Be Back In Southampton -the flip side of the 1976 FA cup song. 

Kicking the series off with tonight's one-off gig at Studio 144's brand new theatre Dan said: "It's meant to be almost a civic gig. The aim is to have this body of musicians and to be showing off what Southampton has to offer.

"Emma and Russ have been fundamental in putting it all together. We are already lining up the next artists - but I can't say who they are just yet."