IT always feels like a lifetime ago, whenever I see clips of 80s bands on Top of the Pops 2, offering me a salutory reminder, if any were needed, that I'm clocking on a bit.

But Carol Decker, lead singer of T'Pau, the rock band that found fame in the era of Thatcherism, big hair and shoulder pads, looks exactly the same as she did then.

She also reassures fans that the group's new album, Pleasure & Pain, has all the trademarks of their earlier material while, at the same time, having a distinctly modern feel to it.

Carol said: "I've been told it has T'Pau's DNA running through it, you can tell it's us. it's big and beautiful with well crafted pop songs so hopefully I've done a good job on the vocals.

"We have a fantastic band now and a wonderful young guitarist called James Ashby whose laid down some stonking riffs. We've made sure it sounds current."

T'Pau play Sale's Waterside Arts Centre next month and Carol said she's looking forward to sharing a more intimate gig with the band's fans, who she praises for their loyalty.

When the band come to Trafford it'll be a case of in with the old and in with the new for these fans with a set list that combines classic hits like Heart and Soul and China In Your Hand with B-sides and a 'smattering' of songs from Pleasure & Pain.

As you'd expect from someone who's been involved in the music business for more than 25 years, Carol's career is littered with highlights, from securing a record deal to the group reaching number four in the US singles chart with Heart and Soul.

She said: "Then of course going to number one in the UK with China In Your Hand was beyond all of our expectations."

Then there was the small matter of touring with a certain Bryan Adams and Eric Clapton.

"It felt like we were in the inner sanctum," Carol added.

Both my parents are in love with the music of the 60s, while for me, the 80s is my 60s and Carol agrees it was an exciting time for music with the birth of revolutionary mediums like MTV.

Carol said: "The 80s is the most diverse and controversial era in terms of creativity and politics, obviously. It was the birthplace of a lot of technology and there was lots of stuff happening in the studios that hadn't happened before.

"We started mucking around with sequencers on Heart and Soul, for example. You've got the birth of MTV and the pop video, which made a huge difference to artists because people could now see you on their telly if you couldn't be in their country. It was fantastic."

Fans of pop trivia may also be interested to know T'Pau takes its name from a Vulcan elder from the classic sci-fi series Star Trek.

-T'Pau play the Waterside Arts Centre on February 5 at 8pm and tickets are available from 0161 912 5616 or watersideartscentre.co.uk.

RICK BOWEN