Legendary Bradford band Smokie are set to help launch the World Cup with a bang.

The band - famous for songs such as Living Next Door to Alice and Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me - have been invited to South Korea for a series of concerts to help raise the country's profile prior to the finals starting in June.

The group will be performing at the City of Kyungki Do Cultural and Arts Centre on March 27 and 28 following an invitation by World Cup joint host countries Korea and Japan.

The events coincide with the band's first-ever tour of Korea from March 25 until April 3.

On their return the band will be touring Europe - including Switzerland, Iceland, Vienna, Denmark and Latvia - until December.

Smokie first rocked the British music scene in the 1970s and 1980s and are still going strong almost 30 years later.

They have enjoyed continual success in places as varied as Scandinavia, South Africa, Germany, Japan and China.

Smokie's albums have sold more than a million copies in Korea.

Vocalist Mike Craft said: "We are extremely proud to be invited to play concerts in Korea for the first time, but to be associated with their hosting of the World Cup is absolutely magical and something we are all looking forward to very much."

Smokie are used to large crowds abroad, having previously played to 25,000 in a Mongolian stadium three nights running with another 80,000 people listening outside.

They were even a big hit in China with the release of Nan Li Wan - a Chinese song about village life from the Mao era.

Smokie will also be playing at the Yonsei University in Seoul this weekend.