QUEEN drummer and rock legend Roger Taylor will play a small gig in Bournemouth as part of a solo tour this autumn.

He will introduce new material as well as revisiting Queen classics during the gig at the O2 Academy in Boscombe on Tuesday October 12.

Tickets go on sale next week.

With the pandemic putting Queen and Adam Lambert’s epic UK and European tour on pause until 2022, the acclaimed drummer has decided to hit the road for a set of intimate shows.

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Marking his first live performances outside Queen in over two decades, he will tour the UK playing 14 shows that will coincide with the release of his latest solo album, Outsider, on October 1.

He said: "For some time now, we’ve all just been trying to get by. Now, it’s back to the basics, myself and some great musical pals getting back out there to play some rock. Obviously we’ll include some of the Queen classic catalogue, and some of my earlier solo work, but we’ll also be introducing them to some of the new stuff."

The tour will open at Newcastle’s O2 Academy on Saturday October 2, followed by dates across the UK that conclude at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Friday October 22.

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The rock legend will perform with a specially assembled band for the tour made up of Queen and Adam Lambert’s keyboardist Spike Edney and supporting drummer Tyler Warren, plus guitarist Jason Falloon and Goldfrapp live players keyboardist Angie Pollock and bassist Charlie Jones.

Pre-sale tickets are available from Tuesday June 8. Go to shop.emi.com/rogertaylor