A CENTURY of popular song will be celebrated when the Bakelite Boys play at Evesham Arts Centre on Saturday at 7.30pm.

Cosmotheka Presentations is bringing Pop Goes the Century to Evesham, with 100 songs from 100 years being covered in as many minutes in an offbeat show.

The musical mix includes some great songs plus some that are mediocre or awful. Coming at them from a different angle, the production charts the cultural ebbs and flows of the 20th century.

The date of each song is displayed on a giant scoreboard and, as the 100-minute clock ticks away, the trio of performers transform themselves into a cast of thousands, sometimes impersonating the originals or, more often, letting the songs speak for themselves without any modification.

Despite the word pop in the title of the show, there is not an electric guitar or drum kit in sight - just unamplified instruments and three versatile voices.

The performers include Dave Sealey, who formed Cosmotheka with his late brother, Alan. Andrew Frank is associated with music from the early years, including music hall and Tin Pan Alley. George Hinchliffe, who has a reputation as the leader of the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, is also a string virtuoso, keyboard player and singer.

Pop Goes the Century is intended to transcend all ages and appeal to anyone with even a passing interest in popular music.

The show was first performed at Wolverhampton in 1999 and has since been staged from Dorset to Cumbria.

Tickets can be booked at the Evesham Book Centre, Library Arcade, 62 High Street, Evesham. Phone 01386 45567.