HEAVY metal legends UFO are booked to fly into Preston’s 53 Degrees on March 2.

It will be classic rock heaven as growling vocalist Phil Mogg and original UFO pals Paul Raymond and Andy Parker, plus American guitar hero Vinnie Moore, prepare to kick up a storm with their head-banging rock anthems Doctor Doctor, Only You Can Rock Me and Lights Out.

The university venue offers a packed schedule in early 2013 and The Bard of Salford, John Cooper Clarke, returns with another rapid-fire show of biting, satirical and hilarious verse.

An important figurehead for the punk movement, Clarke toured with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Fall, and his lyrics and keen social observations are as vital now as when the bard surfed the new wave of the 1970s punk explosion.

He is back to deliver his poems and verse on February 23.

Sonic Boom Six’s many influences include The Specials, The Streets, Public Enemy and Motorhead, so prepare for an all-out aural assault from the Manchester five-piece.

Known for their stunning live set, the Sonic’s infectious single For The Kids of The Multiculture, gained them further recognition on the airwaves.

Growing up at the height of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Stiff Little Fingers, led by front man Jake Burns, produced some of the most powerful music ever to emerge from Belfast.

Buzz-saw guitar singles Wasted Life and Suspect Device, culled from their debut album Inflammable Material, chronicled the band’s anger and frustration at teenage life in a city ripped apart by violence and political divide.

The Men They Couldn’t Hang support SLF at 53 Degrees on March 10.

The Ruts came from the same angry punk generation as SLF, but the premature death of singer Malcolm Owen from a drugs overdose saw the band, which enjoyed chart hits with Babylon’s Burning and Staring at the Rude Boys, split.

Later re-forming as Ruts DC, their strong roots reggae and dub influences saw their Rhythm Collision album recorded with dub legend Mad Professor and is still in demand today.

Now former Ruts stars Dave Ruffy and Segs Jennings are recording together again and Ruts DC make their first visit to the city on March 28.

Space rockers Hawkwind began their cosmic voyage in 1969 with London busker Dave Brock at the helm.

There have been numerous line-up changes throughout the years, but he remains in charge today, forty years after Hawkwind’s single Silver Machine reached number two in the charts. Catch them at 53 Degrees on April 5.