Prolific tourers SHOWADDYWADDY are back on the road and making their way to Weymouth this summer. The Guide speaks to two of the band's original members about life as members of such a well-loved band.

SHOWADDYWADDY have long been established as Europe’s most successful ever exponents of retro-inspired rock and roll.

The group rose to fame after appearing on the classic television talent show, New Faces

Quoted as one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the world, they have lived up to that title for the last four decades.

You can see them at Weymouth Pavilion on Thursday August 3.

Showaddywaddy formed from the amalgamation of two bands, Choise (original material) and The Golden Hammers (covers band).

The current line-up of band members is Romeo Challenger, Rod Deas, Ray Hatfield, Rob Lewins, Dean Loach and Andy Pelos.

Formed in the 1970s in Leicester from several local bands, they have sold more than 20 million records and have toured all corners of the world extensively.

But Showaddywaddy still call the East Midlands home.

Romeo, the band's drummer is one of two original members of the band along with Rod Deas.

He said: "We're the sort of people who are grounded. We've had a lot of success and all the rest of it, but we weren't tempted to do what a lot of bands do and move to the capital. We're Leicestershire people."

The band appeared on New Faces in 1973 and went on to chart - fighting off challenges from new trends in the music industry such as punk and disco.

"The thing about the music business is that there's room for everybody to do what they wanted to do. Before us you had your Genesis and your Pink Floyd, they were flourishing massively and The Who, and we came in and gave the business a little bit of colour. It was certainly about TV, entertainment and the rest of it.

"And then Marc Bolan came in and the fashion thing changed and everything was glitzy and bright and the rest of it. Of course the backlash of that came with the New Romantics and all of that, that changed it all once again, which is good. Music should always change and reappear in a different way, you know."

Today demand for Showaddywaddy is strong and they perform around 100 shows a year, which is surely a testament to their outstanding reputation as live artists.

They've had 23 Top 40 hit singles, including 10 Top 5 hits Under The Moon of Love, When, You Got What It Takes, 3 Steps To Heaven, Hey Rock & Roll and many more, along with 15 massive selling albums (including the Christmas number 1 in 1978).

Their popularity is also measured by more than 50 Top of the Pops performances, and countless industry awards!

Showaddywaddy's second original member Rod Deas was born in Scarborough, though his later musical career started in Malta.

He said: "When I started to learn to play [the guitar, originally, before honing his craft on bass] in Malta it was actually pre-Beatles, so my influences were Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, etc. I can still play the guitar but not very well. Not bad on tambourine, either!"

Rod said it was an ongoing battle for the band to play their own material.

"We do wish that the record labels had given us more opportunity to release original material, but after the success of '3 Steps to Heaven' we think that they thought they had found a successful formula, and encouraged us to record covers; although the songwriters in the band were writing really good material, it was mostly ignored. Releasing more of our own material would have lengthened the band's recording career."

Their Royal Variety performances included one to the delight of the Queen Mother, who actually requested to meet the band post-performance.

They have also performed at the prestigious Golden Orpheus World Music Festival where they played before a staggering TV audience of 300 million people – making history in the process by becoming the first western-world band to be screened live in Communist Cuba!

Late 2004 saw the release of the re-mastered “Very Best Of” collection, which helped the band achieve their first Gold Album award for in excess of 20 years, eclipsing all expectations by remaining on the album chart for three months.

On the back of the compilation’s success the boys were asked to record their first album of new material for 15 years, culminating in a classic collection of hit covers originally recorded by their 70′s contemporaries. Released in 2006 on DMG the record, I Love Rock & Roll achieved healthy worldwide sales.

Then 2008 saw the release of the concept album & DVD entitled The Sun Album, researched from 9800 original Sun titles in which the band lovingly created ‘the album they always wanted to make,’ achieving a long time ambition in the process by recording at the revered Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Released to industry and public acclaim the CD/DVD soon became something of a cult classic, continuing to win over a legion of new admirers with its re-release in 2014.

On the back of massive public demand following a succession of sell-out concerts, along with augmenting the line-up with keyboards and additional percussion, the band again took to the road, touring extensively throughout 2012, 2013 & 2014 with a rejuvenated show to celebrate an astonishing forty years of rock ‘n’ roll, featuring two drummers for the first time since the glam days of the 70′s in a non-stop barrage of hits hailed by the media as ‘an adrenaline fuelled nostalgic treat.’

Last year saw the new line-up returning to the studio to celebrate their continued success with a brand new album.

*Showaddywaddy, Weymouth Pavilion, Thursday August 3, 7.30pm. Call the box office for tickets.