In nearly 60 years on the road, music legend Leo Sayer has seen many more highs than lows, and built a career based on boundless energy, a host of hits and quality songwriting. As he prepares to play Lighthouse Poole on Friday 23 October there’s little to suggest he’s slowing down… but he insists that’s exactly what he’s doing.
“I love performing for my fans and look forward to doing so for many more years,” he says, “but this will be the last time I play so many dates across the country. I am not retiring, just slowing the number of live shows down a little.
“Some days I can’t believe I’m still so driven, but I guess it’s because I still love my job. I also have this wonderful group of friends I tour and perform with, and we all absolutely love playing these shows together. I feel lucky and blessed, and I hope that feeling comes across in the shows. I can’t wait for the tour!”
Leo burst into the pop charts in the early 1970s as his first seven singles went Top 10 in the UK and made him a household name. To this day, hits like The Show Must Go On, One Man Band, the Grammy-winning You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, When I Need You, I Can’t Stop Loving You and Thunder in My Heart, are loved by his legion of fans the world over.
This year has seen the release of a career-spanning CD box set collating all his album releases with two bonus discs of live and previously unreleased recordings.
“It’s fabulous to have everything I’ve recorded included in this one package, it makes me feel very proud of my recording career – a box set with over 200 tracks! There’s also two bonus CDs – one is a special live recording with an orchestra and the other is called Return to Paradise and features some selections from the archives, all previously unreleased songs.”
Leo’s working life is littered with stories about and encounters with so many incredible people – not least his chequered history with his former manager Adam Faith and an episode that saw him share a transatlantic flight with Mohammed Ali. He also spoke to Elvis the night before he passed away. The King had heard You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and asked Leo about the possibility of visiting Graceland to write songs together.
No wonder there’s an autobiography in the pipeline, so how is that going?
“The book is finished and is with the publishers right now. No definite release date yet, so I need to give them a bit of a kick!”
It all adds up to a lot of songs and stories to fit into a show…
“Well, the songs are all pretty much already chosen at this stage,” he explains. “There will be some songs I haven’t performed before in the two live sets – we don’t have an opening act, so I play two sets each night with an interval in between – so expect a few surprises!
“My personal favourites change all the time. Currently it’s The Show Must Go On, Giving It All Away, Thunder in My Heart and a lot of the new ones we’ve added to the shows I’ve recently been playing in Australia.”
However much Leo insists this will be his final full UK tour – he has been based in Australia since 2005 – he’s quick to point out there will be more opportunities for fans to see him on stage. As he said all those years ago, the show must go on…
“There are quite a few shows already scheduled for next year, and I’d really like to return to the UK next summer to perform at some outdoor festivals. There’ll be announcements soon… so watch this space!”
:: Leo Sayer plays Lighthouse on Friday 23 October. Tickets on sale at Leo Sayer – Can’t Stop Loving You – Lighthouse and on 01202 280000.
(NC)
