THEY are riding high in the charts with their album Once Upon a Time in the West, and Hard-Fi will head west along the M4 for a gig at the Oasis.

The punk-inspired indie rockers from Staines, Surrey, will appear on stage on Saturday, December 8 - and are the latest big-name band to be booked in Swindon.

The Oasis is owned by Swindon Council and the authority's cabinet member for leisure, Coun Justin Tomlinson, said: "We're extremely delighted once again that we have secured such a high profile band.

"It's expected to sell out and we're still working to secure further acts in the future."

Hard-Fi are made up of Richard Archer on vocals, guitarist Ross Phillips, bassist Kai Stephens and drummer Steve Kemp.

The band's new album came straight in at number one this week, while they have had a string of hits including Hard To Beat, Cash Machine, Living For The Weekend and Tied Up Too Tight.

The band formed in 2002. The album Stars of CCTV was released in October 2004 and all 500 copies quickly sold out. The album was then re-released in June of 2005 and went to number one.

The band's first tour sold out in just 15 minutes. They played at London's Brixton Academy, and also supported American rockers Green Day at two gigs at Milton Keynes Bowl.

They won over audiences at the Glastonbury Festival, have been nominated for two Brit awards and in 2005 were nominated for a Mercury Music prize for Stars of CCTV.

The latest single Suburban Knights is from the new album and has been a hit in the singles charts.

The Oasis holds about 3,000 fans and Coun Tomlinson said it had been successful at attracting bands not just because of Swindon's central location but also because it filled a gap in the market for medium-sized venues.

The Link Centre and the Oasis are both likely to be either rebuilt or refurbished in the next few years and a more permanent music venue is under consideration for the new-look centres.

Tickets for the gig are £22.50 plus £2.50 booking fee, and are available from Friday from the Oasis box office on 01793 445401 or from Swindon Council's website www.swindon.gov.uk The gig is for over-14s only.