SHE was the stunning voice which made Sub Sub’s Ain’t No Love a massive clubland anthem, he had a number of solo releases which did well in the dance charts.

Now together, Melanie Williams and Joe Roberts will be heading to Darwen next weekend with their band Butterfly Jam and even they aren’t too sure what might happen.

“We’re basically a neo soul band with a great heavy groove,” said Joe. “When we’ve lugged the gear in and we’re on stage, then the fun starts.”

“We look at is as being with our Butterfly Jam family,” said Mel. “Butterfly is the native American word for transformation and that’s what happens when we start to play together.

“There is a real element of songs coming together through feel, just like a jam. Sure we do rehearse but we trust each other so much that everyone in the band can express themselves.”

Hearing Mel so full of enthusiasm for performing with a band, it is surprising to learn that she is relatively new to sharing a live stage with a band.

“I was signed when I was very young,” she said, “so I didn’t get that chance to play in a band. I suppose I have done it the other way round.”

Mel is still very much in demand as a featured vocalist and session singer - she’s currently working on a new remix of Ain’t No Love - but both for her and Joe, a successful writer and producer, Butterfly Jam is where they both feel most at home.

“”I think that’s where we both feel the most authentic,” said Joe. “When we are with the band it’s somewhere we can refuel ourselves.”

Butterfly Jam also features Pete Mason on guitar, drummer Bo Walsh and bassist Morgan Pugh.

“Morgan’s relatively new to the band but he’s an amazing bass player,” said Joe. “We will be playing live and he will improvise these brilliant basslines.”

The loose nature of Butterfly Jam wouldn’t suit some musicians and even Mel admits: “I always expect it to end in a car crash.

“But I always get nervous before I perform even now. I don’t like to talk to anyone before a gig. I just stay quiet and then go on stage. From there on it’s great and I love being on stage with these guys..

“I’m very aware of the great responsibility you have when you go on stage and I think that keeps me on my toes.”

As well as being in the band together Joe and Mel are partners in real life and have two children together.

“I think that is actually good for us,” said Joe., “It helps us stay in touch with each other even more; we are much more aware of each other.”

Mel added: “We have both been through a lot over the years and some people tend to run away from those things. But for us we have had to work things out and there was something about being on that journey together made us determined not to give up and to continue to do what we love.

“I think a lot of the songs we write are about that journey our relationship has taken.”

Mel still does a lot of PAs when she’ll sing her dance hits.

“I’m very grateful that people want to hear me and I suppose that is the lucrative side of the business,” she said. “But I’d love to work on a new Butterfly Jam album.”

Joe added: “Being in this band just feels right for both of us.

The guys get such a great groove going and we just all being in each other’s company on stage.”

Butterfly Jam, Number 39 Hopstar Brewery Tap, Darwen, Saturday, September 30