ANIMALS And Friends are back together following three successful tours over the past six years.

The critically-acclaimed band features Steve Cropper of Booker T and the MGs and John Steel of The Animals.

Both musicians were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in the early 1990s.

Independent newspaper reviewer Andy Gill said the nostalgic element of the old songs comes with an enjoyably abrasive edge.

The set-list is also expected to include classic covers by the likes of Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker.

The Animals were, like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, a band that rode the wave of new energetic youthful rock ‘n’ roll in 1964.

The Animals were the North East's offering, with a brand of rhythm ‘n’ blues that the whole world seemed to grasp greedily.

The Animals were the second British band to top the American charts after The Beatles with the multi-million selling anthem House Of The Rising Sun.

The band subsequently achieved more than 20 global Top Ten hit records, with 12 chart entries in the UK alone.

Bruce Springsteen recently revealed on stage in the USA that it was The Animals, not The Beatles or the Stones, who were his favourite British Invasion band.

He said: “Their singles were the first full-blown class-consciousness I'd ever heard.”

In the present day, Animals And Friends have headlined Gloucester Blues Festival, stormed The Rebellion Punk Festival, headlined London’s legendary 100 Club, and toured with acts like Spencer Davis, Stax and Mick Green.

Animals And Friends can be seen tonight at Warehouse 23 in Wakefield. Visit warehouse23.co.uk or call 01924 724523.