MARC Almond is one of those pop stars you couldn't make up. A walking parody. A rock 'n' roll cliche of a tortured soul.

The original reluctant hedonist. He's a foppish, fragile, dramatic figure who's been to rehab and got the t-shirt.

Those who follow him love him, while those of an intollerant disposition might hate him if only they could begin to understand him.
One thing is beyond debate: as one half of Soft Cell he secured his place in the annals of pop history with their seminal debut release, Tainted Love.

Almond instantly became a star and the most unlikely household name but behind the showman facade was a damaged man, as his astonishingly frank autobiography of 1999 documented.

In the book Tainted Life he chronicled his suicide attempts, his difficult upbrining at the hands of an alcoholic father, his sectioning at the age of 17, not to mention years of abuse and self-abuse which followed.

The worst damage was done in the 1980s, the troubled twilight years came in the 1990s, but it took an horrific motorcycle crash to snap him out of the dark cycles his life seemed to be moving in.

"When you come that close to having everything taken away from you it changes your whole outlook." said Almond. "It taught me to get on with things and appreciate what I've got.

"After the accident I was amazed by how much attention I received from around the world. But for a while I felt I'd been marginalised and forgotten in a way. I was desperately trying to make myself heard."

After Tainted Love hit number one in 1981 Soft Cell went on to score a string of top ten hits such as Say Hello Wave Goodbye. Following the duo's split in 1984 Almond went on to carve out a successful solo career and another number one single duetting with Gene Pitney on Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart.

But throughout much of the following decade he faltered. His records failed to make an impact on the charts and in 1994 he was taken into rehab.

And yet he has retained a devoted following of fans who regard him as a cult figure - a status which was only heightened by the near-death smash in 2004.

"I'm not religious or even particularly spiritual really" he said. "But it does seem with every bit of bad luck comes something positive so I'm trying to make the best of the good luck I have.

"The whole experience taught be not to make big plans because things could come to an end at any moment. You learn to get on with what you've got and realise what's important.

"I have good friends and good family and my fans have been absolutely fantastic and loyal. I think that before the accident my glass was always half empty, now I see it much more as half full."

Almond was a pillion passenger when the motorcycle collision happened. The initial prognosis was poor but he made a remarkable physical recovery - regaining his memory and his mental well-being took much longer.

Luckily for Almond his devoted army of fans are likely to turn out in force when he takes to the stage in Leeds on Wednesday night. He promises a mix of new material, personal favourites from the back catalogue as well as all the obligatory classics.

But his appearance at The Grand is more than another date to be ticked off the tour list. It's a virtual homecoming gig in a city where Soft Cell, the electronica duo he created with fellow Leeds Polytechnic student David Ball, were formed back in 1979.

They made their stage debut at The Warehouse and gave the first performance of Tainted Love when both men were still living in digs on Blenheim Square in Burley.

Almond has never pretended his adult life has been anything other than unconventional, with dark corners your Average Joe might not be able to process let alone venture into.

Yet many of his formative years were spent in the more pedestrian surroundings of Horsforth, the rather leafy town/suburb on the edge of Leeds.

After returning briefly to his birth town of Southport he came back to study here because, perhaps surprisingly, it provided him with eye-opening inspiration at a crucial stage in his life.

"Leeds is a really big part of my history" he said "I spent so much of my life there and it's a city I always look forward to coming back to, if only to retrace my steps - which is a bit tragic really.

"But I like to see how it's changed. It's developing so much and it seems to be one of the most exciting places in Britain right now, but then it always was a very happening place.

"When I was a teenager in Horsforth I had my first experiences of going into 'the big city' and there were always so many clubs to go to, bands playing everywhere, films.

"There was a real energy and vibrancy to the place at that time, particularly because it was around about the time of punk and new romantics.

"And I'm very proud of the fact that we were at the forefront of electronica. There were nights just starting up in London playing that kind of music but at The Warehouse I think we just have been the first venue in the north of England to hold one."

Almond now surveys a modern musical landscape where electronica is enjoying a resurgence through RnB, dance and pop. And though his musical style has diversified and evolved it still brings him a certain degree of self-satisfaction.

Further proof of his enduring reverance among musicians came recently in the unlikely form of Rihanna's hit single S.O.S. (Rescue Me) which sampled a key section from the chorus of Tainted Love. The track was a worldwide hit.

"I was really proud of that" he said "It was really great for me because it was a number one record in America and a really great track and I liked what the producers did with it.

"I particularly liked Rihanna singing on it, but I'm a big fan of hers anyway. They didn't actually ask permission to sample it because the copyright belongs to Universal Records - but we still get royalties anyway, which is always good."

So 27 years after it was a hit Almond's signature song is still reeping financial rewards?

"Oh yes" he laughs. "Whenever a bill arrives or the mortgage needs paying thank God for Tainted Love."

Marc Almond is at Leeds Grand Theatre on Wednesday. Call the box office on 0844 8482703 or visit www.leedsgrandtheatre.com