MERCURY prize-winning band Gomez are expected to visit Worcester next week to watch legendary musicians John Martyn and Danny Thompson perform.

The acclaimed five-piece, who scooped the best album prize three years ago as rank outsiders with their debut Bring It On, are to collaborate with Thompson on their new album.

Thompson said he was expecting to meet up with the band when he and Martyn play Huntingdon Hall on Thursday, June 14.

He and the band would head into Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in Bath later this year, though he had no details about songs that might end up on the album.

"I think they're fantastic," he said yesterday.

"I keep pretty open minded about new music, but a lot of it, like Blur and Oasis disappoints me.

"But Gomez have great style and they're difficult to pigeonhole. And they can rock it, too."

For Thompson, working with the band will follow a long line of huge names from Kate Bush to Everything But the Girl and Talk Talk.

"I still love that kind of work. It keeps me on my feet," he added.

But for the time being, the 62-year-old is enjoying a 25-date tour with his friend John Martyn.

It is the first time the pair, who first met nearly 30 years ago, have toured together since 1981 following successful collaborations on three of Martyn's albums.

"I think we're like the Sunshine Boys, but I don't know which of us is Walter Matthau and which is George Burns. You'll have to decide.

"The tour has been fantastic so far. You walk on stage to this really warm atmosphere that you can't explain.

Thompson said both he and Martyn previously rejected any plans to tour together.

"We didn't want one of these tours down memory lane. It had to be fresh and exciting."

The idea of playing together was discussed after they did so on a show called The Transatlantic Sessions, in 1998 and the following year.

Martyn also has a busy schedule following the tour, having agreed to write songs for Paul Weller and Sade, among others.

The 52-year-old, famed for his drawling blues voice, has a 30-year career which has produced as many albums.

Though never reaching commercial heights, his peers in the 1970s included Phil Collins and Steve Winwood.

But for the time being, he said he was enjoying playing live with Thompson, with whom he first collaborated in 1970 on the album Road To Ruin.

"It's brought back some very fun memories. Danny is a very funny man," he said.

"The format of the show has depended on the crowd. We've played stuff like Make No Mistake and Over The Hill - all the stuff from the late 70s - but also new stuff. We get a lot of requests from people just shouting out.

"As for George Burns and Walter Matthau, yes, that is quite true, you could compare us to them!"

John Martyn and Danny Thompson at Huntingdon Hall on Thursday, June 14. Call the box office on 01905 611427 for tickets.