The pop-rock band The Hoosiers will headline Fitzwilliam’s Winter Ball this year.

As the ball’s website boasts,  the Hoosiers have sold over a million records and topped the UK album chart with their debut album – although it omits to mention that was back in 2007.

No doubt the Reading-based band will perform their most well-known singles from that chart-topping album, ‘Worried About Ray’ and ‘Goodbye Mr A’, although some tracks from their new album, ‘News From Nowhere’, may also feature in the set list.

The Ents team behind the ball were exuberant about booking the band: “Having The Hoosiers on board as our headliner is an excellent way for Fitz to show that we’re raising our ball game (pun intended)." They added that, "this year’s Saturnalia-themed ball will be more than enough to whet your appetite for a black-tie frolic as come December May Week seems but a distant dream.”

The choice of a professional band as opposed to Cambridge stalwarts, such as Truly Medley Deeply or Dirty Blonde, is more usual for May balls with a higher ticket price and more disposable income.

The biennial ball, which takes place on the 4th December 2014, is themed around ‘Saturnalia’, a pagan festival celebrated by the Romans. At Saturnalia, routine is overturned and revelry reigns, a situation illustrated by the ball's promotional video, in which a student supervises his director of studies.

Tickets are available for £84, or £109 and £94 with dining and queue jump, respectively.