Gig preview: The 80s Invasion Tour at St George's Hall, Bradford

The 80s Invasion Tour features Big Country, Midge Ure of Ultravox, Nick Heyward, once of Haircut 100, and Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, former lead singer with Curiosity Killed The Cat.

Haircut 100 had five hit singles in less than two years, with ‘Favourite Shirts’ and ‘Love Plus One’, reaching number four and three respectively.

Heyward left the band in 1983 and had solo hits for the next 13 years including ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ and ‘Blue Hat for a Blue Day’.

“I don’t really know why the 80s are so popular these days,” the 54-year-old 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 90s.”

Heyward 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. Mark (Fox) and Les (Nemes) were falling out which didn’t help.

“We were in the studio making our second album and I was feeling ill with all the work I was doing. 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.”

Heyward has performed with all the other acts on the bill. “It’s usually great fun,” he says.

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

“Wow, yes, it was a few years ago now. I think it was about 2006, but I’ve done a few dates here and there.”

There is something in particular that he is looking forward to.

“They’re all indoors in great theatres,” he says. “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.”

Heyward’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.”

The 80s Invasion Tour comes to Bradford’s St George’s Hall on Thursday March 3. Tickets are available from the box office on 01274 432000 or via http://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/80s-invasion-tour-2016