A MAGICAL blend of classic showstoppers and nostalgic war-time tunes from the past century will be featured at The Anvil later this month.

A concert by the Massed Bands of the Royal Air Force to mark 100 Years of Flight will take place at the Basingstoke concert hall on Friday, November 28. It will include a medley of Judy Garland songs, music from films including Reach For The Sky and Moulin Rouge, plus a selection of Cole Porter hits.

Interspersed with these will be classical pieces by Holst and Mozart, rousing First World War tunes such as Rose of Picardy and It's A Long Way To Tipperary, plus big band renditions of numbers such as Kalamazoo and Come Fly With Me.

Among the soloists will be concert favourites Corporal Matthew Little and Emer McParland, who will join the Massed Bands of the Royal Air Force to perform a selection of music to suit every taste, under the guidance of conductor Wing Commander Stuart Stirling.

The broad sweep of musical styles, encompassing much of the past century, will help set the mood for journalist and broadcaster Paul Heiney's entertaining account of the History of Flight - from the Wright Brothers' momentous achievements at Kitty Hawk through to the state-of-the-art aircraft of the present day.

The concert is being staged in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund, which raises money to help former and current servicemen and women, and their families, who are in need. The show will start at 7.30pm.

Tickets, priced £10 to £16, are available from the The Anvil box office on 01256 844244.