KIRK Brandon is the voice of Spear of Destiny and Theatre of Hate and when he sings, breathes and screams, he shakes his songs out of his body.

For four decades, Brandon has consistently written compelling and uncompromising songs, like arguably his greatest hit, Do You Believe in the Westworld?

“These are really interesting times, dark times, society is slipping away from itself and dividing,” observed Brandon.

“And when I sing that song, ‘Do You Believe in the Westworld?' it has an extra resonance for me now.

“Suddenly, Britain is a very divided country, yet, strangely, I think there is more of an awareness of each other in society.

“Then I see images of Donald Trump, the American President, flickering across the screen, spouting his latest bit of lunacy and the Orwellian speak on the news channels, and it is quite funny, but it isn’t.

“Well, do you believe in the Westworld. Well do you?

“That’s a question we are all struggling with now.”

Brandon rode the first wave of punk with his first band, The Pack, later exploring his political ideas in Theatre of Hate and the classic pop themes of love and romance in Spear of Destiny.

“That was a very tribalistic time, and I think people were definitely more politically savvy then,” he said.

“But you must stay true to your word, songs and statements, and I believe our music has always had that integrity.

“Why do it if you don’t believe in what you are doing?

“Times have changed, but music will never fade because it is the most intense and easy communication that man has ever invented.

“We can do anything with technology today, but music is still the most relevant communication of all.”

Brandon will be presenting his songs in a stripped back way, at a one-off acoustic show in the North West, accompanied by master cello player Sam Sansbury.

“It is a very different gig, and an unusual take on our music,” he said.

“We’ve even got a couple of Theatre of Hate interpretations on a James Bond theme and a Country and Western cover of a Ry Cooder tune.

“Sam is a musical genius, but when we play our songs together it sounds like a medieval soundtrack.

“It has a raw edge and a beauty and you will hear Never Take Me Alive, World Service, Young Men, Original Sin and many others in a completely different light. It is a very powerful experience.”

Kirk Brandon with Sam Sansbury, Thornton Little Theatre, Thornton Cleveleys, Saturday, September 2. Details from 01253 887963 or www.wyretheatres.co.uk