A ROCK band from Cirencester will be reuniting at this month's Lechlade Music Festival after taking a long break to mourn the death of their popular bass guitarist.

Dealer is back up and running with new band member Tom Bull, 28, and will be performing in Lechlade at the end of this month. This is the first time the band will have played in the Cotswolds since their former bassist Pete Gentil was suddenly killed in a motorcycle accident in September 2013.

Singer Trevor Short, 54, said it was strange at first, getting back together, but that all four musicians - Trevor, Tom, Steve Peril and Rupert Irving - knew it was what Pete would have wanted.

"We practice a lot so we are used to being together now," said Trevor. "After Pete died, the band manager Chris and I spoke about whether we would carry on and decided it would have to be the right person and we both came up with Tom."

The newly rekindled rock band, which was originally founded back in 1979, performed at their first gig together in Holland in October last year but Lechlade Music Festival will be their first gig together in the Cotswolds.

Tickets for this year's Lechlade Festival are getting snapped up fast as rock legends Status Quo are due to headline on the last day.

"It's exciting," said Trevor. "We'll be playing on the Sunday, the same day as Status Quo. It will be nice to meet them. Ironically Pete was a massive Quo fan. So we'll be doing this one for him."

Tickets are still available for Lechlade Festival, which is being held in the town from 22-24 May. Dealer will be playing on Sunday, May 24. Visit lechladefestival.co.uk for more.