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BRITISH hard rock legends Deep Purple will be the headline act at the fourth annual Dubai Bike Week and Gulf Bike Expo, taking place later this month.
Surviving an endless series of line-up changes and a dramatic mid-career shift from progressive rock to heavy metal, the band has emerged as a true institution of the UK hard rock community.
Once credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's loudest band, their revolving-door roster launched the careers of performers including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, and Ian Gillan.
The band was formed in Hertford, England in 1968 and then featured guitarist Blackmore, vocalist Rod Evans, bassist Nick Simper, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice.
Initially dubbed Roundabout, the group was first assembled as a session band for former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis but quickly went its own way, touring Scandinavia before beginning work on their debut LP, Shades of Deep Purple.
The most pop-oriented release of their career, the album generated a US Top Five hit with its reading of Joe South's Hush, which went unnoticed at home.
The Book of Taliesyn followed in 1969, again cracking the US Top 40 with a cover of Neil Diamond's Kentucky Woman.
Deep Purple have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and ranked number 22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme.
The three-day Bike Week and Gulf Bike Expo will take place at the Dubai Festival City from March 19 to 21 and Deep Purple will perform from 9pm on March 20.
Other entertainment during the three-day bike festival includes performances by the Scorpion Customs stunt team, DJ GQ with his stunt team of bikers and local bands including Juliana Down, Abri, Lumi, The Meerkats, Paul Akiki and Jonas Desai.
The Bike expo will showcase the latest in bikes, ATVs, apparel, accessories, custom-designed bikes and motorcycle-related products from major international brands from Europe, the US, Canada, Italy and Japan.
Concert tickets are priced at AED295 (BD31). Visit the websites www.gulfbikeexpo.com or www.dubaibikeweek.com for more information. Tickets are available from www.boxofficeme.com, www.timeouttickets.com and www.ticketingboxoffice.com.
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