VIDEO PREVIEW: Living Next Door To Alice stars Smokie release EP on UK Tour

The Yorkshire based band will be performing all their 1970s hits and showcasing new songs from the EP, available at the gigs, including One More Miracle, Love Is All We Got and At The End Of The Rainbow.

Their nine date UK tour brings them home to the white rose county for the EP launch at Halifax Victoria Theatre tonight Friday, March 9 and they are at The Barbican in York, on Friday, March 23.

Other venues in the tour include Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Southport and Darlington. Full details, ticket links and latest news about the band at smokie.co.ukWATCH: Check out our Facebook Live chat with Smokie lead vocalist Mike Craft and Mick McConell - CLICK HERE.

Preview, download or stream The ultimate Smokie Hits (40th anniversary edition) at smokie.lnk.to/UltimateSmokieYo and follow the band on their Facebook page at facebook.com/smokiemusic.

And yes - live on tour they will be expecting fans to join in with Living Next Door To Alice's X-rated party singalong lyrics.

Smokie say they would be lynched if they didn't perform live the global hit the song which has sold 10 million copies.

Their first clean version of it in 1976 reached number five in the UK charts but almost 20-years later, when they released the parody song as a duet with controversial northern comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown, it went to number three.

Their biggest worldwide hit was all thanks to Irish fans

Founding member Terry Uttley explained: “That version was courtesy of audiences in Ireland. We were still selling really well there, both with records and concert tickets. The promoter had warned us that the Irish audience had come up with this extra bit, but wouldn’t tell us what it was.

"When we were performing the song and they suddenly shouted ‘Who The **** Is Alice’ back at us, we were in bits. We couldn’t stop laughing! It got released as a single, introduced us to a whole new audience in England.

"We became the first band to do Top Of The Pops on four consecutive weeks at that time. So that version is purely down to the audience in Ireland, they created the whole thing!”

"When we were performing the song they suddenly shouted ‘Who The **** Is Alice’ back at us and we were in bits.

"We couldn’t stop laughing!"

But the 1985 was a bitter sweet year for the band, which was hit by tragedy when lead singer Alan Barton - formerly of Agadoo stars Black Lace - died from injuries in a tour bus crash during a hailstorm in Germany.

Fans urged Smokie to continue and the current line up has been together for 23 years featuring lead singer Mike Craft, lead guitarist Mick McConnell, drummer Steve Pinnell, keyboard player Martin Bullard and bassist Terry.

Described as the 'English Eagles', the British country rock sensations have been working non-stop for 43-years, sold 20 million records and performed to 20 million fan around the world.

They were the first Western band to sell over a million albums in South Korea and President Putin invited them to perform in Moscow at his New Year's party in the Kremlin in 2004, shortly after playing to 500,000 people in the Main Square in Kiev to mark the country’s 700th anniversary.

They are still much in demand today, performing around 100 concerts a year, currently on a world tour of 19 countries and three continents.

Smokie, who changed the spelling of their name from Smokey when Motown legend Smokey Robinson threatened to sue, alleging the band's name would confuse audiences, have had 13 hit singles, including If You Think You Know How to Love Me, Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me, I'll Meet You at Midnight, It's Your Life and Oh Carol.

They will be performing classics and new songs on the tour.

Terry said they were delighted to find dates to perform back in the UK. He added: “We just never get the time to be perform here. It’s amazing how many people in Britain think we’re just a forgotten band of the 70’s when, in truth, we’ve never stopped.

"We’re busier now than we’ve ever been, we have an incredible fan base not just of people who remember us from back in the 70’s but who have followed us for the last 20-30 years, who have grown up with us. Our concerts abroad have everyone from teenagers to grandparents in the audience; it’s an amazing mix. In some countries they don’t even speak English as a first language, but you can see them singing every word to Living Next Door To Alice or If You Think You Know How To Love Me.

“We did a few UK dates last year and the response was amazing, so we said it’s something we definitely want to build on which is why we’re back for 2018. We love the fact people in the UK remember us, but we also want to tell the people who think we’ve been in retirement all these years to come and see the show – if you remember the songs, you’ll certainly have a great night. We do.

“People keep asking about a new album but the honest answer is, whilst we’ve got tracks written and ready to record, our schedule just doesn’t allow us enough time to get in to the studio and record a full album. But it will come, eventually."

TOUR DATES 2018

Tuesday 6th March Cymru Venue, LLANDUDNO

Thursday 8th March The Corn Exchange, KINGS LYNN

Friday 9th March Victoria Theatre, HALIFAX

Thursday 15th March Tivoli Theatre, ABERDEEN

Friday 16th March The Ironworks, INVERNESS

Saturday 17th March SEC, GLASGOW

Wednesday 21st March Southport Theatre & Convention Centre, SOUTHPORT

Thursday 22nd March Hippodrome, DARLINGTON

Friday 23rd March The Barbican, YORK