Tony Hadley

Although I love travelling and I've been to some wonderful places, I always appreciate coming home.

Be open-minded so you can always see the other side of the coin.

Id go back to Mauritius in a shot.

Some of the craziest audiences are in Italy. They are very emotional and passionate so it is always fun to play across the country I always enjoy the amazing food.

One thing you notice on treks is how little people wash. I always manage to find a stream, but on one trip there was a guy who didn't wash for six days. It was pretty disgusting.

I've toured all over the world, and all over the UK too, but I mainly get to see venues, hotels and airports - which is a bit unfortunate.

Sometimes I do find myself out there, looking for answers. But maybe there are no answers, maybe there is no rhyme or reason. Thats life, its up and down and Ive had my fair share of both.

You have to be philosophical about life, you cant angst over it too much.

There are people who can out-twiddle me all over the place. But Ive got a very distinctive voice. Whatever I sing, you know its Tony Hadley. And that is 99per cent of being a frontman.

Listen, Im not technically the best singer in the world.

I hit 51 the other week but I still feel like I'm 28.

We like visiting beaches and seeing the area. We went to St Mawes in Cornwall with my brother recently and spent the days crabbing, mackerel fishing and having barbecues.

I went on a school trip aged 13 around the Mediterranean on a Second World War ship. Seeing lemon trees and orange groves at that age was amazing.

I went to a biological exhibition when I was about ten or 11, so I was really into biology, nature, that kind of thing.

I was a bit of a strange kid in some ways. I had microscopes, scalpels.

Aortic valve replacement? Very interesting, actually. Im a bit weird.

Id been touring in Japan and Australia and was due to play in America when Covid struck. I couldnt get back to England for a whole week, so I ended up spending it in Miami on my own.

I did a gig for the Red Cross during the Balkans conflict, but we couldnt land in the city as they were trying to shoot the planes down. We had to land in Budapest and make the seven-hour car journey on bumpy roads instead, and when we finally arrived, a riot almost broke out in the venue.

I studied Russian history at school, and I absolutely loved St Petersburg. It was magnificent - the architecture is incredible and has quite a significant Dutch influence.