Being a councillor is hardly rock and roll but one Breckland member is swapping committee agendas and grey suits for a guitar and microphone as he sets up a new band.

Being a councillor is hardly rock and roll but one Breckland member is swapping committee agendas and grey suits for a guitar and microphone as he sets up a new band.

Labour county, district and Dereham town councillor Robin Goreham and his three band mates have spent the last five months rehearsing for the launch of their new group called Polaris.

And so, soon Mr Goreham, from Dereham, could be juggling a rather unlikely mix of council meetings and rock gigs.

The group, which is named after a star, will play a mix of rock'n'roll and 1960s and 1970s pop rock, with songs including The Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Woman, The Beatles' Day Tripper and Elvis's That's All Right, Mama.

Mr Goreham, who does vocals and plays guitar, described the band as 'nice and nostalgic'.

He said: 'We will be doing some songs from The Beatles and Rolling Stones and a little bit of Elvis too. You cannot hope to completely replicate their sounds but we do our own version of the songs. It is all about having fun and putting on a good show.'

As a man perhaps best known for representing Dereham in the political world, he described his musician persona as his alter ego.

'I am always going to have my political beliefs but when you are in the band you are a musician, not a politician. I hope we will have lots of people come to see us play, including people who support the other political parties, because music is universal.'

He added: 'I think music and politics have both got an element of theatre about them. Life is all about playing different roles. In Polaris we concentrate on entertainment while in politics it is a little bit rough and tumble but we are all friends in the end.'

Mr Goreham, who used to play in the Cellar Blues Band from 1993 to 2003, originally wanted to

re-form the old band for a one-off charity event for his 50th birthday this year.

But the idea grew and it was decided to form a new band and use the charity night as its official launch.

Polaris is made up of three former members of the Cellar Blues Band - Mr Goreham, Daryl Willis (bass guitar and stand-up bass) and Stephen Nobbs (drums) - as well as Dave George who has been a guitarist in a number of different bands before.

The group will be doing its debut performance at Dereham's Plough and Furrow Pub on April 30.

For the official launch, Polaris will be performing a concert at Dereham's Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 25.

The event is in aid of Mencap. There will be two sets by Polaris plus a support band and disco. Tickets cost �6 and can be bought from Mencap, in Quebec Street, Dereham, and Sounds, Nunns Way, Dereham.