What's on: Alvin Stardust, the Sands, Blackpool (From Lancashire Telegraph)

What's on: Alvin Stardust, the Sands, Blackpool

4:16pm Friday 6th July 2012 in What's on in Lancashire By John Anson, Features editor

ALVIN Stardust has an easy way of telling how old fans he’s talking to are.

“It all depends on which songs they mention first,” he said.

“If it’s My Coo-Ca-Choo they were growing up in the Seventies, I Feel Like Buddy Holly the Eighties or stuff from my rock and roll days the Sixties.”

Alvin, who will be 70 this year, remains as busy as ever and he’s got fans from five decades tyurning out in their droves to see him live.

“I like to keep busy,” he said.

“I’ve got some great musicians working with me and we just go out there and enjoy ourselves.”

Alvin, who will be at the Sands in Blackpool tomorrow night, has been a rock and roll icon; as a leather-clad, glove-wearing popstar he was a seemingly permanent fixture on Top of the Pops in the Seventies and he saw more hits follow a decade later.

“The beauty of being where I’m at now is that I really don’t need to work that much and I can do what I want to do.

“We’ve recently played in front of 30,000 fans at a festival in Belgium and a 100 people at a rockabilly event in this country,” he said.

“We also play jazz clubs and country music clubs. I love all types of music and no-one can really stop me doing what I want.”

Alvin took a break from live music, performing as the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the West End and in other musicals.

“I enjoyed the stage work but after a while I realised I really missed going out with a band,” he said.

“Nothing compares to being in front of an audience and it’s great to see so many different age groups there. You can see young kids who obviously are discovering rock and roll for the first time and those who have been with me for years.”

Alvin admits that the music scene has changed a lot since he got into it.

“All I ever wanted from being a youngster was to be in a band and I still do,” he said.

“It’s different now with this concept of being famous being so important for some youngsters. I think that makes it much more awkward for kids.

“It used to be that cities and towns like Blackpool and Manchester had so many venues that you could find somewhere to play four nights a week. That was where you learned your trade, how to work an audience. Now so many people just want to be a star.

“There are still some really good bands and musicians out there. I love Green Day and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and some of the singer songwriters are very good.

“But when I look back to the Seventies and the likes of Noddy Holder from Slade and David Bowie, it was an amazing privilege to be around at that time. We were all there for the music and we genuinely had fun with it.

“Of course, it was a serious business — the music industry always has been — but we were always ourselves and my mates from those days are exactly the same today.”

“I’m just amazed that I have got away with it for so long,” he laughed.

Alvin Stardust, the Sands, Blackpool, tomorrow. Details from 01253 625262

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