Feel the noise tomorrow evening at Weymouth Pavilion with seventies superstars Slade. Original members Dave Hill and Don Powell tell the Guide how they have overcome problems in their life to keep on rocking.

GLAM rock comes to Weymouth Pavilion tomorrow night when Slade hits the stage.

The 1970s flamboyant four piece may have lost Noddy Holder and have a new lead vocalist in the shape of Mal McNulty, but they remain ever popular across Europe and the UK.

In fact, the band make their way to Weymouth after a gig in Denmark last week.

Their pavilion gig, Fifty Years of Slade, promises a truck load of hits including Cum On Feel The Noize and, of course, as heard seemingly everywhere this time of year, Merry Xmas Everybody.

It is said (although it is not clear how it was measured) that 42 per cent of the global population have heard it, so this means that three billion people have listened to Slade.

Slade first hit the road in 1966, touring throughout Great Britain and Europe and becoming a regular concert attraction. Joining forces with the former Animals bass guitarist and Jimi Hendrix Experience manager, Chas Chandler, Slade achieved their first chart hit in May 1971 with the Bobby Marchan song "Get Down And Get With It" then, released in October of the same year Coz I Luv You was the bands first No-1 and a huge hit across Europe.

The band's chart career has spanned three decades and their enduring songs Cum On Feel The Noize and Coz I Luv You are still featured today in TV commercials for some of the world's biggest companies.

Original members Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell have been joined by ex Mud bass guitarist John Berry, frequently spied in the guise of the Big Issue seller in Eastenders, and new lead vocalist Mal, once the lead vocalist of Sweet.

Dave says that despite performing for more than 50 years he still loves it.

"It's all about having fun and a bit of escapism," he says of the show. "We live in difficult times so we need a bit of a release."

While performing on stage in Nuremberg, Germany, in 2010, he suffered a stroke. "That was a defining moment. It was tough, really tough,"

"I wasn't very well and I just thought I had a bug. It all went surreal. I felt as if my legs didn't belong to me and my arm wouldn't do what I was asking it to do. I couldn't press the strings and I didn't know where I was. I came off the stage and my speech had gone funny.

"My son Sam was with me at the gig, which was lucky, and he took me to the hospital immediately. I'd have just gone to go to bed. I didn't realise that I was close to having a heart attack because my blood pressure had gone through the roof."

Dave had tests in hospital and was then put on medication.

He said: "I was really scared and I remember the first night. I thought it might be over. I thought it had taken my gift. I really struggled but the support of the people around me as well as the people in the hospital got me through."

After three months of recovery Dave was well enough to go back to work, and he was diligent in his exercises to ensure he got better.

Drummer Don has had his own challenges in life.

In 1973 he was involved in a car crash which killed his girlfriend at the time, Angela Morris.

He said: "After the accident I spent six weeks in a coma and when I came around my memory was totally destroyed.

"Ever since then I have suffered from short-term amnesia, which means that although I can recall events from decades ago, I won’t remember if I’ve had my breakfast or not unless I write it down.

"So for the past 40 years I have kept a very detailed daily dairy so I know exactly what I’ve done and where I’ve been. It is a rundown of my schedule and ranges from who I’ve seen and what time I went to bed to what I’ve eaten and read.

"I also try to include my thoughts and emotions so I can recall how I felt on any given day too."

Don is now married to a Danish teacher Hanne. The couple live in Denmark.

He said: "I met Hanne 16 years ago when we got chatting after a Slade concert in her hometown of Silkeborg, Denmark.

"She was a huge fan of the band and the attraction between us was instant.

"With two failed marriages behind me, being with Hanne just felt right from the start and I love living in Denmark.

"I didn’t just fall in love with Hanne, I fell in love with her three children, too, Anne-Kristine, Emilie and Andreas."

Don is a big film fan ans has more than 1,000 DVDs at home.

He said: "An upside of my amnesia is that once I’ve watched a film I completely forget it and so I tend to watch my favourites over and over again.

"My top film of all time will always be the Jungle Book and even if I hadn’t lost my memory, it is one that I could watch over and over again.

"I also love Midnight Express and the epic JFK, because I have always been fascinated with John F Kennedy and his untimely death."

Although he is yet to write an autobiography Dave says there are some tales to tell. He says a talking book might be more appropriate for him.

"I lived in post-war Britain and was actually born in a castle in Devon, which was a post-war hospital. I always say, 'I was born in a castle and I moved to a council house!" He bursts into a boyish chuckle.

Thoughts of hanging up his guitar are also dismissed: "It isn't like, 'when are you going to retire?' It's more, 'why would I want to?'.

"In fact, someone said to me recently, 'What was the longest tour you have ever done?' and I said, 'I'm still on it'. And it's true, it never stopped."

*Fifty Years of Slade is at the Ocean Room, Weymouth Pavilion tomorrow night at 7.30pm.