A TRIBUTE band famed for bringing the iconic Dire Straits back to the stage are coming to Weymouth Pavilion.

DS:UK are midway through their UK-wide Alchemy tour, and will be visiting the town on Thursday, October 24.

The legendary Alchemy album was Dire Straits' first live record, recording in 1983 at Hammersmith Ocean during the final nights of the band's world tour.

Dave Phillips, the band's manager, said: "Alchemy is a beloved album by Dire Straits' fans and this tour is our opportunity to perform many classic favourites that aren't often heard on stage. It's been fabulous so far, and audiences have been delighted."

DS:UK were originally known as Dire Straits:UK and were formed in 2016 by six superfans of the rock band. The tribute act quickly rose to success and began touring theatres across the country.

However, after their first Alchemy show of the year at Hazlit Theatre in Maidstone, the band were contacted by Dire Straits Ltd regarding the use of their original name. The act subsequently adopted the name DS:UK.

Dave commented: “There are plenty of tribute shows across the world that are using the name of the band they’re paying tribute to. We didn’t think we’d have any trouble from the real Dire Straits over our use of the name, but evidently we did. It’s possibly that Mark Knopfler’s team were clearing the Google space in preparation for selling his UK tour - not that he’d need any help!”

The name change hasn’t dulled the band’s enthusiasm or the interest in DS:UK’s shows, and the tribute act are currently enjoying a successful tour of the country.

Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977, becoming one of the world's best-selling music artists with album sales of more than 100 million. Some of their greatest hits included Romeo and Juliet, Private Investigations, Twisting by the Pool and Money for Nothing, with their unique sound drawing from a wide variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk and country.

Dire Straits were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

DS:UK's Weymouth performance begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £22 for adults and £20 for concessions, available by contacting the pavilion box office or visiting their website.

For more information about the must-see tribute act, go to www.direstraitstribute.co.uk/