MUSIC from the Eighties is back in a big way.

And a tour which is calling in to Manchester will offer fans the chance to see some hugely successful acts from the decade on one bill.

The 80's Invasion Tour features Big Country, Midge Ure, Nick Heyward and Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot of Curiosity Killed The Cat.

With Haircut 100, Nick Heywood had five hit singles in less than two years, including Favourite Shirts and Love Plus One.

Nick left the band in 1983 and went on to have solo success with singles including Whistle Down The Wind and Blue Hat for a Blue Day.

I don't really know why the Eighties are so popular these days," Nick Heyward tells me from Miami where he putting the finishing touches to his latest album with son Oliver.

"I haven't given it too much thought to be honest. Probably people like things from a couple of decades back.

"I expect in ten years it'll be the Nineties."

Nick left Haircut 100 just as they were making it big.

"We'd been working flat out for a year and it was in America when things started to go wrong.

"We were in the studio making our second album and I was feeling ill with all the work. I ended up in hospital – Pete Townshend was also there which was cool in a way – and while I was away it all fell apart and I got pushed out."

"I then found some new material and did my first solo album (North of a Miracle) which was how I thought Haircut 100 should have sounded."

Nick has performed with all the other acts on the bill.

"Yeah, I've played with everyone on the show before and it's usually great fun," he said.

But it's been a while since he toured the UK.

"Wow, yes, it was a few years ago now," he said. "I think it was about 2006, but I've done a few dates here and there.

"I'm looking forward to these dates as they're all indoors in great theatres.

"I love the halls, sometimes when you're doing outdoor shows – like a lot of them are – you can't hear anything and your singing gets lost in the wind. With these dates, you can hear everything, which is great."

Nick's new album is due for release soon.

"It's been a long time coming. It's been recorded in part in my son's bedroom and at the moment I'm on a houseboat studio in Key West, Florida."

"I'll be heading back to London in a couple of days with 16 songs and with any luck it'll be out in a couple of months."

And will it feature on the tour?

"Well it'll be a mixture of Haircut 100 songs and my solo work. I'd like to do one off my new album, but you have to do the songs people know."

Also appearing on the tour will Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot of Curiosity Killed The Cat who were nominated for the BRIT Award for Best New Act of 1987 and whose debut album Keep Your Distance went straight in at Number One and sold one and a half million copies.

Midge Ure needs no introduction. One of the driving forces behind Band Aid and subsequent Live Aid concert he has had success with Slik, Ultravox and

as a solo artist.

Big Country's unique sound has made them live favourites for over 30 years.

The 80's Invasion Tour, Manchester's Opera House, Monday, March 14. Details from 0844 871 3018.