Cerys Matthews and Hayley Westernra make up women's weekend at Alban Arena

HERE Come The Girls will be the theme of an all-female weekend in the autumn when the Alban Arena plays host to two singing sensations. Cerys Matthews, who found worldwide fame as lead singer of Catatonia, and contemporary classical singer Hayley Westernr

HERE Come The Girls will be the theme of an all-female weekend in the autumn when the Alban Arena plays host to two singing sensations.

Cerys Matthews, who found worldwide fame as lead singer of Catatonia, and contemporary classical singer Hayley Westernra are performing at the St Albans theatre on consecutive nights in October.

The visit by Cerys on Friday, October 23, coincides with the release of her new album Don't Look Down in both Welsh and English language versions.

She has come a long way since Catatonia burst on to the music scene with hit singles like Road Rage and Mulder and Scully as well as number one albums in the charts. She had an equally successful parallel solo career, duetting with Tom Jones and Space.

The live show, which will feature old and new songs written or collected by Cerys during her travels, will see the performer backed by young musicians Kevin Teel and Mason Neely.

Hayley Westerna, who will be performing on the following night, Saturday, October 24, is in great demand as both a solo performer and duet partner. She has recently sung with, among others, Jose Carreras, Bryn Terfel, Andrea Bocelli and toured with Il Divo.

Hayley began performing when she was just six years old and was only 16 when she released her debut international CD Pure which rapidly became the fastest-selling album from a classical artist and reached the Top Ten in 11 countries, selling more than four million copies.

She will be accompanied by her musical director Tim Evans and the string quartet Raven.

Tickets for Cerys Matthews are �20 and for Hayley Westernra �25 and �22.50, available from the box office on 01727 844488.