A POPULAR indie rock band will begin an 'intimate' UK tour in Blackburn this October.

The Sherlocks, who supported The Kooks at Castlefield Bowl in 2019, will embark on a tour of smaller, independent venues to help 'keep them alive' post-pandemic.

In an announcement on social media, the Yorkshire rockers revealed 15 tour dates for the 'Keep Our Independent Venues Alive Tour', with Blackburn's Electric Church (October 1) and Preston's The Ferret (October 23) on the list of dates.

The band wrote: "We're going back to playing all the small venues, to help give something back.

"We need these venues to survive for upcoming bands. Together, we will create some special memories."

Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday and are available to purchase through The Sherlocks' website.

The support slots at each gig will be given to independent artists local to the venue.

While the band are intent on re-visiting some smaller venues this year, with little known yet about how concerts might be restricted in October, they are no strangers to large arenas and stadiums.

In June 2019, they supported The Vaccines and Kaiser Chiefs at a packed out Elland Road to celebrate 100 years of Leeds United.

The band enjoy particular popularity with young rock music fans, who have propelled The Sherlocks into the mainstream with more than three-million plays on several of their songs on Spotify.