Tim Metcalfe discovers that Justin Hayward is still happy to be 'just a singer in a rock 'n' roll band' Their latest publicity photo wouldn't look out of place on the wall of a gents hairdressers. The quartet of musicians who brought you hits such as Nights in White Satin and Isn't Life Strange are carefully couiffered and airbrushed.

The same care and attention to detail goes in to the presentation of the band's music which may explain how The Moody Blues have managed to transcend fickle music biz fashion.

That and a string of hits which still get airtime on those radio stations who add a 'gold' prefix to their moniker.

The Moodies started life as a rhythm and blues outfit in Birmingham in the early sixties but the band was transformed when Justin Hayward and John Lodge joined the line-up.

Their debut album, 1967's Days of Future Passed (recorded at the time as an experiment for their record label to introduce punters to the new concept of stereo!) became an instant classic and is one of the most popular albums of all time. Hayward remains at the heart of the band 35 years on and a few months in to the new Millennium he is gearing up for a tour which brings The Moody Blues to the Oxford Apollo on Sunday.

It's not the first time that the Moodies have played at the theatre but Hayward has other reasons for his feelings of affection for the place.

Being a Swindon lad, he remembers childhood coach trips to the New Theatre (the Apollo's previous incarnation) to see the annual pantomime visits to Blackwells bookshop and days out at Oxford's St Giles Fair.

"It was the best fair in the West Country at the time," he recalls, fondly.

Hayward moved from Swindon to join the rest of the band in Birmingham when he was 19 and began a career which has spanned four decades.

How does he explain the band's enduring appeal.

"We've always gone our own way," he says. "We've never chased fads or trends. But we're wise enough to know that probably our most important work was done between 1966-74." That's probably why the Apollo show will largely be a trip down memory lane for fans. But the Moodies will also be showcasing material from their latest album, Strange Times, which was recorded in Italy.

The sessions came after a long hiatus as individual members of the band pursued solo projects. But the separation generated new enthusiasm for their first love.

"In my opinion, this is the most beautiful Moodies recording that we've ever done," Hayward says. "The friendship and laughter was inspirational. It became a pleasure because we shared a lot of emotions."

The album is due to be re-released along with a 'greatest hits' package on the Universal label to coincide with the Moodies' UK tour.

Hayward realises that the band can't rest on its laurels or rely on radio play to remain in the public eye. Their touring schedule reflects this. They come to the UK on the back of a sell-out tour of the USA. "We still tour six or seven months each year," he says. "These days the only chance we get to sell ourselves is to go on the road. But we're lucky to be a band from the sixties which still has a current recording contract."

And it's obvious that Hayward feels lucky to be able to say in the words of the song that he's still 'just a singer in a rock and roll band'.