GLAM rock veterans The Sweet play Fibbers in York on December 4 on their 50th anniversary tour with support from local favourites GlamRockz.

In the early 1970s, The Sweet had a string of hits with the bubblegum quartet of Co-Co, Poppa Joe, Little Willy and Wig-Wam Bam, and the glam power-houses Blockbuster!, Hell Raiser, The Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage and The Six Teens, later joined in 1975 by Fox On The Run and Action and in 1978 by Love Is Like Oxygen, penned by Andy Scott.

Fox On The Run broke The Sweet in the United States in 1975, charting at number three in the Billboard 100, and although best known as a singles band, 1975's Desolation

Boulevard and 1976's Give Us A Wink revealed a much harder rocking band.

Level Headed followed in 1978, but the next year lead singer Brian Connolly left the original line-up, leaving Andy Scott, Steve Priest and Mick Tucker to continue as a three-piece. Connolly passed away in 1997, Tucker in 2002, and when Priest re-located to the USA, Scott was left to fly the flag on his own for the 55 million-selling band who had drawn lavish praise from several rock gods.

"Without The Sweet there would not have been a KISS," said Gene Simmons. "We wanted to be The Sweet," revealed Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. "This is the band I wish I had been in," craved Def Leppard's Joe Elliot.

After a couple of line-up changes over the years, lead guitarist Scott has toured the world over the past decade with Bruce Bisland on drums and vocals, Peter Lincoln on lead vocals and bass and Tony O’Hora on keyboards, guitar and vocals.

Tickets for The Sweet's 50th anniversary gig in York are on sale at fibbers.co.uk or on the door from 7.30pm.