ROCK'N'ROLLERS Showaddywaddy say that - unlike the British weather - they can guarantee sunshine at their forthcoming gig in Weston-super-Mare, Peter Dyke writes.

The band are celebrating their 50th anniversary since their debut hit Hey Rock N Roll in 1974.

The chart-topping band, who are famous for dressing in coloured teddy boy jackets and scoring hits with Under The Moon of Love and Three Steps To Heaven, are coming to The Playhouse on Friday, August 9. Original band member Dave Bartram said: "Seaside audiences go out to have a good time.

“I think right now people need cheering up - particularly if you have paid a lot of money to go on holiday to the coast like Weston and it's pickling down as it has been the majority of time.

"I mean it's not much fun going in and out of arcades or trying to keep your kids happy when it rains so it plays into the hands of bands like Showaddywaddy when we come to town.

"We do quite a lot of seaside dates and we want to bring some sunshine and put a smile back on faces.

“The audiences are well up for having a good time when they are on holiday and it makes for a great atmosphere."

There is also another reason why Weston holds a special place in Dave's heart.

The singer-songwriter - who is 72 and now manages the band - said: “I think we've been to Weston several times over the years. It's a nice part of the world.

“In fact, I've got a cousin who lives in Burnham-on-Sea, so I know the region quite well. “And I've had a couple of romantic interludes in the area going back a number of years."

Showaddywaddy are celebrating their 50th anniversary since their debut hit Hey Rock N Roll in 1974.

Dave promises that the group - which has undergone a few line-up changes over the years but still includes original drummer Romeo Challenger - will play their back catalogue of hits that includes A Little Bit Of Soap, You Got What It Takes, Remember Then and Heartbeat to get the crowds up on their feet and dancing.

He said: "I remember Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones saying ‘People don’t go to a gig to hear songs from your latest album... they go to hear all the hits’. It is about pleasing the crowd.

"They want to relive their memories and it is very important for us to give the crowd what they want."