MAJOR names in music from days gone by will be arriving in Essex this weekend.

This year’s annual Champagne Picnic concert will feature the original Animals, Heatwave and Herman’s Hermits.

The event will also see the American Four Tops Motown Show and the Abba Fever appearing.

The Champagne Picnic will be at Little Easton Manor, Dunmow, on Saturday.

The event, now in its 12th year, offers more than four hours of entertainment with a line-up to suit all ages. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound, the Animals were one of the most noteworthy bands of the 1960s.

They balanced tough, rock-edged pop music against rhythm and blues-oriented sounds in their hits.

Their best known tracks include the House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out of This Place and It’s My Life.

Herman’s Hermits brought us Sixties sounds, I’m into Something Good, Silhouettes and There’s Kind of Hush.

The Seventies, of course, wouldn’t have been the same without Heatwave’s magic touch and tracks like Boogie Nights while the American Four Tops Motown Show and Abba Fever are likely to be massive hits on the night.

Gates open 4.30pm with the concert starting at 6.30pm and finishing at 11pm.

Tickets are £28.50 and £35 on the night.

Call 01279 815464 for tickets, or visit the Tourist Information Centres in Braintree or Witham, or go to Dunmow Travel at 9 Stortford Road, Dunmow.