Fans of chart stars Embrace have accused them of snubbing Bradford.

The Wyke-based four-piece are about to embark on a high-profile UK tour - but its does not include any local dates.

The nearest concerts to Bradford are in Manchester and Doncaster.

Embrace vocalist Danny McNamara told the Telegraph & Argus the band hoped to play in Bradford or Leeds next time they were on the road, but would not play in the area this year.

Claire Turner, who has recently started a new Embrace fanzine, said many fans from West Yorkshire were upset by the absence of any local gigs.

"A lot of the people I've spoken to seem to be fed up that they are not playing anywhere near their home town," she said.

"They have had to travel before and they don't really want to have to go as far as Doncaster, which is the only date in Yorkshire. They are more likely to go to Manchester because it is easier to get to."

She said the Doncaster concert on September 12 was one of only a handful of dates on the tour, which was not a sell-out yet.

Jamie Woolgar, a spokesman for Embrace's record label Hut, said the situation was "unfortunate".

Danny McNamara, who forms the backbone of the band with his guitarist brother Richard, added that it had not been possible to fit any West Yorkshire venues into the itinerary this time and there were no plans for any local one-off dates for later in the year.

Embrace have confirmed their status as one of Britain's biggest new rock bands in recent weeks, with their debut album The Good Will Out going straight to number one.

The Telegraph & Argus was one of the first newspapers to spot their star potential, making their song All You Good Good People its Demo of the Year before they were even signed to a record company.

The new single My Weakness Is None of Your Business has also just gone straight to number nine.

The Embrace tour runs from September 4 to 18, with dates at Manchester Academy on September 6 and Doncaster Dome on September 12. Tickets to all venues are £9.50.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.