With less than a week to go there's even more reason to get voting - at tinyurl.com/6d2mot - to make Colchester the country's "Most Musical City".

To help the Gazette with our push, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree told us exactly why his home town should get the nod, and why it is still one of the most musical places in the country.

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, Dave said: "It's a musical place in a different way.

"Manchester and Liverpool has its big names but my experience of growing up in Colchester was the whole town was intensely musical and still is.

"I remember almost all the pubs had musicians on. Both my parents were musicians and a lot of my friends played.

"I cannot think of any other place in the country that nutures musicians quite like Colchester does and that's because it gives them places to pay."

While Dave has been living in London since he was 18, he still returns to his home town to meet up with friends and family.

He added: "I still think it's a big town with a village feel, where people know who their neighbours are and stop and chat to friends in the street.

"I also think there is still huge civic pride in the town and people will express that pride in where they come from by voting."