A WORLD-touring musician will return to his home town of Machynlleth next month to perform on the night of the town’s lantern procession.

Fred Harper said it was “huge” to return to the town where he was a pupil at Ysgol Gynradd Machynlleth to perform with his band Me and My Friends.

The group will perform, with Fred - also a former pupil at Ysgol Penglais in Aberystwyth - on drums, at Y Plas on Friday, 2 November.

“Returning to play in Machynlleth is huge for me,” Fred said.

“I went to school in Ysgol Gynradd Machynlleth and Penglais in Aberystwyth.

“Although Aberystwyth is a small place, it definitely punches above its weight in terms of representation in the national arts scene.

“Penglais had a fantastic music department at the time headed by the incredible Jane Leggett, who was responsible for a very large part of the musical success in the area.”

After gigging around Wales and extensive auditioning, Fred got into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and moved to South London.

He said it was “an incredibly exciting time”, where Fred was also able to study at Junior Trinity Music College and get private tuition from some of the top players in the country.

He later attended Leeds College of Music where he auditioned to join his now bandmates in Me and My Friends.

The band have been gigging around the world for the past eight years, while Fred also plays with a huge variety of solo artists and has just completed an 18 date UK tour with the Daft Punk Orchestra.

“It’s super important for kids who come from smaller rural areas to know that they can make it in the wider arts world if they have the support around them and the passion to keep pushing higher and higher,” Fred said.

“The opportunities and fellow players are there, you just have to seek them out.”

Fred has played with various artists throughout the UK and Europe including performances at The Southbank Centre, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Glastonbury Festival.

He recently travelled to Brazil to complete an extensive study of Afro-Brazilian percussive traditions.

Me and My Friends, who will perform at Y Plas at 8m on Friday, 2 November, play music inspired by the sounds of Ghana, Brazil and Jamaica - described as a ‘life affirming sound’ on Radio 4.

The event at Y Plas is supported by The Arts Council of Wales’ Noson Allan, Night Out project.