FORMER Swindon musician Barry Andrews has hit the £35,000 Kickstarter target to take his band on the road.

Shriekback, founded by former XTC keyboard player Andrews in the 1980s, have been raising the money via the fundraising website to put together a new live show - the first time they will have performed live together in more than 20 years.

It took less than three weeks to surpass the target, and the total now stands at £36,629, with eight days still to go.

Andrews said: : "It's very heartening to find that our weirdo music means enough to people that they voted for it with their money.

"It makes us think we may not have wholly squandered our time on the planet (though, a bit, obviously).

"The next stage now is to get into the rehearsal studio and create a singular new piece of rock 'n' roll theatre. There are a lot of expectations and we will strain every sinew to live up to them."

The band's first gig will be in at the O2 Ritz Manchester on May 31, the O2 ABC Glasgow on June 1 and the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on June 3.

To book tickets, visit ticketmaster.co.uk/Shriekback-tickets/artist/2162.