GARETH Gates is bringing live music to Odsal Stadium - lining up a series of concerts from pop acts for next year.

Acts planned for 2022 include Sister Sledge, Martin Kemp, Peter Andre and S Club.

Gareth has joined Events People, the company behind Bradford Dance Festival, held at Odsal this year, and has announced three concerts for next summer. Gareth will compere the gigs and will also perform.

The concerts are: The Big 80s Festival on June 3, with Sister Sledge, Martin Kemp, Boney M, Katrina and the Waves, The Fizz and Sonia; Bradford Dance on June 4 with Tom Zanetti confirmed so far; and The Big Pop on September 3, featuring Peter Andre, Five, A1, S Club, Liberty X and Gareth.

"For a while now, I’ve wanted to host a festival type event in Bradford and the success of the Bradford Dance Festival sparked my interest even more," said Gareth. "Our city deserves some good quality live music events. I opened some discussions with Events People; I liked what they were about, and their key principles aligned with mine. I hit it off with the other two directors and they asked me to come on board as a director and take the creative lead.

"I’ve been developing the concept of a big pop event for a while, and thought an 80s event would be fitting after previous successes at Odsal. I'm quite well connected in the industry and have spent nearly 20 years on the circuit, so I understand what it takes to put these types of shows on. We want this to be a big city experience. We've worked hard on securing some great talent and will continue to bring more great talent to perform here in the city."

Added Gareth: "Logistically, this is a big exercise which we hope can feed into local businesses, using their services and products, and bring more business to the city. Over coming months we'll announce partner sponsors for 2022, along with a charity close to our hearts which we're hoping to support."

Co-director Nick Martin said: "We're really excited to bring someone of Gareth’s calibre into the business; he has a wealth of knowledge from being in and around the events circuit for what seems a lifetime. His experience, along with his passion for the city, made him the perfect candidate to get Events People to a level we feel can produce the very best live entertainment. Gareth jumped straight in, securing huge line-ups."

Gareth has fond memories of Odsal Stadium as a child: "I’d watch Bradford Northern play, and often went to see Speedway. Over the years I’ve done quite a bit for the Bulls and made good friends with legends like Robbie Paul. But I always wondered why the stadium wasn’t used more for live music. Its sunken layout and amphitheatre-like structure is perfect for concerts."

Gareth, who shot to fame on TV's Pop Idol, is currently starring in panto in Cardiff. "It feels amazing being back on stage after two years of very little performing," he said. "It’s the 20th anniversary of Pop Idol next year - wow that makes me feel old! I’m working on new material to mark the occasion."

* For more about events at Odsal Stadium visit eventspeople.co.uk