WHEN Carol Decker takes to the stage with T’Pau headlining Darwen Live on Monday and the opening chords strike up for their biggest hit China in Your Hand, she knows exactly what to expect.

“Everyone knows every word it seems,” she said, “and the crowd will practically sing it for me. Even now that’s an amazing experience, I get lifted by that so much.”

In the late 80s, T’Pau had a string of hits including Heart and Soul and Valentine plus China in Your Hand which spent five weeks at number one.

As a result, T’Pau have joined a growing list of hugely successful outfits labelled heritage acts.

“I think record companies have to have something to call us all,” said Carol.

“We’ve been working on a 30th anniversary box set and apparently current contemporary artists are called front line and we are now a heritage act.

“I makes you feel like an old building with a blue plaque on it.”

“I don’t like the term but I’m getting more used to it. What is important is that it’s all about enduring music. The 80s stuff does get played all the time, it’s incredible and I’m fortunate that a few of my songs are a little bit well remembered.

“I never thought I’d be doing this 30 years later. At the time I had not really what I thought I would be doing.

“I was a singer in a rock band carousing round the world. I didn’t have a plan. We were a bit like pirates crashing into every town and leaving chaos in our wake.”

Having left her ‘pirate days’ behind her, Carol is in a better position to assess her music.

“I have come to appreciate the emotional connection that people have with specific songs,” she said. “Music punctuates people’s lives - I’m the same have songs in my life that I remember where I was when I first heard them.

“As a result, I’ve begun to take a little credit for the songs after all this time having co-written them.”

T’Pau’s most recent album Pleasure and Pain was released in 2015 and Carol revealed that a new release is being considered.

“We did an acoustic tour at beginning of last year and all fans want that.” she said, “so we’ll see.”

Darwen Live is on Sunday and Monday. Headliners on Sunday include Republica, Lucy Spraggan and Republica and on Monday T'Pau and Sham 69. There will be live music at venues around the town.