A ROCK Hall of Famer is playing in Carlisle next week.

Steve Hackett, who played in the band Genesis between 1971 and 1977, is performing at The Sands Centre on Thursday, October 14.

Mr Hackett said: "I’m looking forward to Carlisle. I look forward playing to everywhere.

"Everywhere has had something extraordinary to offer so far.

"I think the audiences have been hungry for it for so long. I’m finding them very demonstrative."

The Sands Centre performance is part of Steve's Seconds Out + More tour, in which he is playing a mixture of Genesis and solo material.

Seconds Out was the hugely successful double album recorded on Genesis’ 1977 concert tour.

It featured Steve Hackett on guitar alongside Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Phil Collins who had taken on the role of vocalist following the departure of Peter Gabriel.

The tour included music from each of the six studio albums from Steve’s time in Genesis and marked his final recordings with the band as he left to pursue his solo career upon its completion.

Steve described what it felt like to perform after the past 18 months.

He said: "It’s been very good. It’s just been great to get out and play in front of people.

"You get a bit bored at home watching endless cooking programmes and cremation adverts on the TV.

"It’s not quite the same as being out there and playing in front of a live audience.

"It’s been thrilling, it’s been a lot of laughs, it’s been a lot of fun."

Since leaving Genesis in 1977, Steve has been a prolific songwriter, releasing more than 30 albums.

He was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2010 and also also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.

He has continued writing throughout the pandemic, releasing Under a Mediterranean Sky in January and Surrender of Silence last month.

The latter debuted at number 16 in the charts.

He also wrote his autobiography during the pandemic.

Steve said: "If you come to the gig you won’t be disappointed.

"There’ll be a lot of things that you'll enjoy.

"There’s a great light show that goes with the stuff and it’s a fantastic band."

Steve Hackett performs at The Sands Centre in Carlisle on Thursday, October 14.

Tickets are available on The Sands Centre website.