IT is 50 years since the name The Strawbs started to appear on posters at venues around the UK and tomorrow night founder member Dave Cousins will be bringing the acoustic version of the band to Darwen’s Library Theatre.

“We are busier than we have ever been,” said Dave who leads both Strawbs Acoustic and the fully electric line-up.

“When we do the electric band shows, they are quite loud and people get carried away with the intensity of the music,” he said. "But the beauty of the acoustic shows is that people can listen to the words and the stories behind them. They are essentially two different entities.

“Sometimes we will play the same songs but some of the songs you can’t do with the electric band because you need to hear the words.

“That’s what I love about the acoustic shows. They are intimate affairs and I get to tell stories about where the songs have come from and take the audience on a sort of history tour back to where it began and how it has evolved.”

Evolved The Strawbs most certainly have. Over the years they have been seen as folk, folk rock, prog rock and just a rock band. In 50 years a band is going to feature a number of musicians and the the list of Strawbs’ members looks like a who’s who of British talent. In the early days Sandy Denny who would go on to join Fairport Convention was a vocalist. A young Rick Wakeman was the band’s keyboard player before leaving to join Yes. His sons Adam and Oliver have also both played with the Strawbs.

“I’m the only band leader to have had three Wakemans,” laughed Dave, “not even Yes can say that.”

Dave has been the band’s main songwriter throughout.

“I just come up with songs,” he said. “Essentially they are autobiographical - unless it’s a story like a murder ballad or course.

“My whole life is wrapped up in the songs and if you want to know anything I have done in my life just look back on the songs and they’ll tell you what I was doing at a particular time.

“That can sometimes be very harrowing for me but people identify with the lyrics and that’s why they are so important to what we do.”

The band, Dave admits, does have something of a split personality.

“In the States we are known as a prog rock band but here we are seen as folk,” he said. “It is not as though we deliberately tried to change and be something different for the next album. It was just how it evolved.

“What you see with the Acoustic Strawbs is the front line of the band from 1974. (Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk make up the trio).”

The Darwen date will be the first acoustic show of the year.

“It can be tricky when you have to switch from one form of the band to another,” he said. “At least you can sit down with the acoustic band but the concentration required is enormous. Doing things acoustically means there is nowhere to hide but it is so rewarding.”

Strawbs Acoustic, Darwen Library Theatre, Friday, June 23. Details from 0844 847 1664 or www.darwenlibrarytheatre.com