Tribute band Killer Queen will this summer perform at a world-famous US music venue that can host an audience of near 10,000 – yet just weeks earlier they will strut their stuff on a stage located in the playing field of a Harpenden school.

Herts Advertiser: Killer QueenKiller Queen (Image: Archant)

On July 2, Killer Queen top the bill at Sir John Lawes secondary school for the return of the popular and family-friendly Festival on the Field. Later the same month, they jet off for the iconic Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Colorado.

Killer Queen’s lead singer Patrick Myers, who has been performing as the late Freddie Mercury since 1993, believes Queen’s music works well whatever the size of the crowd: “The music of Queen works really well live and as a shared thing. But the real quality of these songs is that they really speak to people and they’ve become the soundtrack to people’s lives.”

He adds: “We try to recreate the Queen experience as accurately and faithfully as possible but any success we’ve had over the years is down to Queen’s creative brilliance and is a testament to their popularity and their style of music.”

Run by the school associations of Manland Primary School and Sir John Lawes secondary school, Festival on the Field is now the town’s largest outdoor musical show and returns for a third time.

Herts Advertiser: Killer QueenKiller Queen (Image: Archant)

Killer Queen also starred at the event’s 2012 debut and have a special link with the town as former drummer Roland Kerridge, who died of cancer earlier that same year, was a Harpenden resident.

Patrick says: “In a way we dedicated that show to Roly. He was kind of a fatherly figure to us – he already had a lot of experience in the music industry when he joined us and helped us a great deal.”

For Patrick, performing as Freddie Mercury has now become a full-time job, which he describes as an “unexpected privilege”. He reveals: “Back in 1993 when we started we thought it would just last the summer! We wanted to enjoy Queen’s music, have some fun and raise money for the AIDS charity that was founded in Freddie’s name – the Mercury Phoenix Trust.”

Since then Killer Queen have toured the world, collecting much praise along the way. Patrick says: “We’re huge fans of Queen’s music and we simply love putting on a show so other people can enjoy it too.”

Herts Advertiser: Killer QueenKiller Queen (Image: Archant)

Ticket sales are well ahead of expectations and local companies Jarvis Homes, John Curtis and Harpenden Smiles and the Herts Advertiser have all agreed to be sponsors.

Killer Queen will headline with Take This and Charlotte Hopley, performing as Taylor Swift, completing the tribute act line-up. The musical talents of students from both Sir John Lawes and Manland schools will also be on show.

There are plenty of activities planned away from the stage that will keep children of all ages happy (and their parents too).

Tickets can be purchased from the Festival on the Field website and you can get in touch with the festival organisers at festivalonthefield@gmail.com. Get the latest news via the Festival on the Field 2016 Facebook page, or follow on Twitter @FOTFHarpenden.