Photo Credit: Heather Tomlinson

Former Dire Straits guitarist John Illsley brought the house down at Teddington's Landmark Centre last night with the capacity audience stepping back in time to listen to great hits from the 80's as well as the star's new material from his latest album.

The venue was packed to the rafters with organisers expressing their 'delight' at being able to fill every one of the 300 seats.

John, who founded the legendary Brothers In Arms band in a council flat in Deptford with fellow guitarist Mark Knopfler in 1977, also gave a fascinating insight into his rock superstar journey in a Q and A session entitled The Life & Times of Dire Straits with the band's co-manager Paul Cummins.

 His band, consisting of two other guitarists and a keyboard player, rattled through some of the Straits classic tracks like Sultans of Swing, Romeo and Juliet and Private Investigations as well as material from his new album V111 including It's a Long Way Back.

The well-known TV chef and author Rick Stein, who owns a fish restaurant in Barnes, was amongst the audience and was invited backstage to meet John and the band. The pair became friends when Illsley appeared in the final episode of BBC's Rick Stein's Secret France where he had dinner with him at a restaurant near his home in Provence.

TV chef Rick Stein was cooking up a storm in the Teddington audience….

The packed audience also had the opportunity to purchase merchandise at the end of the gig ranging from his new album, to his recent biography My Life in Dire Straits as well as his guitar themed art works.

Last night's event is just part of a jam-packed calendar of events at The Landmark Arts Centre. Go to the website to see more https://www.landmarkartscentre.org/