IN response to public demand, Queen star Brian May and singing sensation Kerry Ellis are teaming up once more for a new series of UK concerts at the end of the year.

May and Ellis will play 11 shows across the country in the lead-up to Christmas including the Leeds Grand Theatre on Monday, December 12.

The concerts mark the pair’s sixth tour together since their first ‘Anthems’ shows in 2011, which they performed on the release of Kerry’s first album, produced by Brian.

This concert tour will feature new songs from the forthcoming second album Anthems II, which the pair have been working on for the last year.

"Intimate" is a word Kerry uses when she talks about what first-time audiences might expect from seeing their upcoming shows: “Our show is definitely an experience; we like to move people, give them new experiences and take them on our personal journey, and we have a lot of fun," she said. "Brian always comes up with great stories to explain our choice of songs, and among them a lot of hidden gems that people have never heard before. We like to think it’s a very unique and special evening.”

Brian said: “Our show is largely acoustic and usually performed by candlelight. It’s very loose and interactive. In contrast to the bombast of a Queen show, our relationship with the audience is very informal – truly live and spontaneous.

"This is now my favourite way of performing – it’s a lot of fun and anything can happen. It takes some courage, but we believe our audience loves the fact that we take the risk to run the show completely ‘wild’. No clicks, no loops, no clutter. It’s fundamentally just a voice and a guitar.”

Kerry added: “It's always a joy to be able to perform live with the ‘Doc' and this time will be as magical as ever. We seem to always be developing and bring new ideas to the table. Alongside performing and recording we are still learning and for me that's the exciting part. I feel very fortunate to be doing another tour together and sharing yet another show with our audiences.”

“Although life has taken us both into so many new areas recently, live music is still what makes us tick – the greatest joy," added Brian. "And Ms Ellis is the perfect fellow band member! I’m grateful for the opportunity we have to bring this show to an even wider audience. I’m already working on hardening up the finger ends!"

Brian May & Kerry Ellis UK Candlelit Christmas Tour December 2016 comes to Leeds Grand Theatre on December 12. Ticket price: £45, performance time: 8pm.