A SOUTH Essex musician and his band have been invited to open Wembley Stadium for legendary band The Who.

When performing as a supporting act at Under the Bridge in Chelsea, Connor Selby was approached by Bill Curbishley, The Who’s band manager, who asked if they’d like to open for the band on July 6, along with Imelda May, Kaiser Chiefs, and Eddie Vedder.

Echo:

Legendary - The Who

Echo:

Riots - the Kaiser Chiefs are also on the bill

Echo:

Performer - Connor Selby

The 21 year old, from Billericay, said: “I was blown away by the offer, he said it in such a nonchalant way I thought he was joking! Once he’d assured me it was real, I was completely in shock.

“My dreams came true that day. These are artists I’ve always looked up to, The Who is one of the best of all time.

“I’ve been playing guitar since I was eight years old and for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a musician.

“Originally, I took guitar lessons to get out of school, but once I’d had a taste for it I was obsessed.

“I was even offered a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in America, but I turned it down to pursue my career in music.”

Connor is supported by Joe Anderton on guitar, Fergie Fulton on bass and Rob Shearer on drums.

After only being together for one year, the band have performed alongside the likes of Suzi Quatro, American rock singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress.

The band will feature with an hour long set, performing songs from their album called Made Up My Mind.

He continued: “This could possibly kick start my career, as much as I want to stay grounded, I want to make sure we make the most of this opportunity.

“It’s quite nerve racking, the biggest crowd I’ve played for is a couple of thousand people. But once the crowd gets bigger, I’m hoping I will just see it as a big mass of people.

“So many people say that when you play for a smaller crowd it’s more intimate, which is worse in a way because you can see people’s reactions to your performance. We will be working hard in the next two months rehearsing. My family are really proud.”