THE Christians – named after the three brothers in the original line-up –- burst onto the music scene in the late 1980s with hits like Ideal World and Harvest for the World.

Thirty years on lead singer Garry Christian is still fronting the band who will perform at Fareham and Christchurch in February and at Basingstoke in May.

The Brook in Southampton has now been added for Friday November 17.

The years have seen their ups and downs and the family its fair share of tragedy with Garry being the only remaining original member.

But a new highly acclaimed album 'We' and tour dates booked throughout 2017 prove the band - which has been in its current format for ten years, are stronger than ever.

Russell Christian left the band in 2005, and tragically, Roger Christian died of a brain tumour in 1998 11 years

after leaving the band.

Fortunately, Garry has no intention of hanging up the microphone and is very happy with his lot. These days he lives in a lodge at the National Trust property Speke Hall, outside Liverpool with his partner Emma who is also the band's manager. He has his own recording studio there " a real cottage industry" and enjoys walking his springer spaniel Bertie around the lovely grounds three times a day. Even as we chat he has to momentarily stop the interview to look at a wood pecker in his garden.

Music has been part and parcel of his life for as long as he can remember. As one of 13 children, the Christian house was always full of music, whether it was the Beatles – “my sister went out with John Lennon for three weeks,” or 60s American blues and soul artists.

One of his earliest memories is hearing his older brothers playing Ray Charles and singing In The Heat of the Night from the Rod Steiger film.

“We had a front parlour, which was always locked because it was kept for best, but I got the key and I used to go in there and listen to his records. His voice just captured me. I thought, I want to be a singer and I want to sound like that.”

Older brothers Roger and Dennis were in a group called The Gems. Garry was shy and never told anyone about his singing but finally volunteered as a stand-in when one band member fell ill.

"Every time my brothers (who were six and seven years older than me ) were going out doing gigs I'd want to go with them. I remember being 11 and saying look I can sing because one of my brothers was sick and I offered to go in his place. They just looked at me with pity but even then I had the confidence to do it."

And growing up they would all sing together at home: "We always use to go into the front room where the piano was and sing a cappella . It was a great learning curve on how to harmonise with other voices. It was emotional and fun to hear five voices . The voice is the best instrument in the world, and now harmonies are part and parcel of what we do in the band. I always make sure there's room for harmonies. That mix of rock and soul I love it! That may not be too popular these days. When I listen to the radio now I think Simon Cowell has killed a lot off. Music today has a very digital sound and there's no warmth to it. Maybe I'm an old fart," he laughs, " ...we will see where it goes but the music industry is floundering in the water."

Asked if there is anyone he admires or likes in music right now he gives me a straight answer: "No!"

"What I like is either dead or old! I listen to the radio and think I've heard it before - go away!"

Looking back on the many great artists lost from the music industry last year he agrees we've lost some incredible talent:

"At the beginning of the year when David Bowie died I dropped my corn flakes all over the kitchen floor when I heard. I couldn't believe it. It was a real shock. I was really into Bowie- he was my kind of hero- the way he went about doing things and the sound of his records. And then Prince died and I couldn't believe that either. It makes you sit up and think. Your mortality comes into play. You start thinking the clock is definitely ticking away."

Reflecting on his family tragedies he tells me:

"Roger died in 1998 from a brain tumour. I was living in Paris and got the phone call from my mum. I didn't know what to do. He was my older brother, my hero and I looked up to him, and before that my oldest brother Dennis died in London [it was suicide]. It was all a big shock. You do think of your mortality and who you leave behind . All kinds of things wash through your head and you think I wish I'd said this to him. Half the time you're not talking and half the time you're having a laugh. You get over things and accept life as it is."

Have these experiences had a big effect on his song writing?

"I suppose so. You come up with something that reflects on what's happened in your life. I try and pen things that are real to me but I try not to be too self-indulgent - there's a fine line. But when there's something specific - an incident that's happened like 'Big Red Sky' ( from the new album) which is about Hillsborough that's different. It's all about the lies and the hurt the establishment put on Liverpool fans.

We met the people- the parents and the families and we talked and asked if it was ok to put it on the album. They loved it and cried when they heard it. It was a justification for me that people said it was a great tribute to something that happened 27 years ago."

Another track on the album 'Mother' was extremely personal as it was written when his own mother died.

"My mum died of Alzheimers in October 2014. It was horrible because I had to say goodbye two times. She had it for 12 years. She knew no one and was like a baby in the cradle . You are born helpless and you die helpless. If my mum had gone earlier it would have been better all round. When I got home after the funeral it was still a final goodbye. I sat down and thought about my mum's relationship over the years . She was great and taught me so much ....I knew the inevitable would happen. She was going to go but she was always very stubborn, even though she didn't recognise me...you love them unconditionally.

"My oldest brother would have been 70 now but he died at three and a half. It really devastated my mum and I think that's why she had so many- she was frightened of losing any, but there are lots of big families in Liverpool. "

Now in his 50s, Garry admits that perhaps he never envisaged a career spanning four decades. “But then I don’t think anyone does.I think I’ll probably still be doing this at 70 because I really don’t know how to do anything else.”

When I check that he is 51 - as numerous ages are often printed in newspapers he adds:

"When you say it like that it's unbelievable. It's just another year- just a number. I don't feel like I'm getting old. Even though I have a few grey hairs I don't feel any different. ..It's all in the mind. You are as young as you feel.

"When I get up in the morning I feel a bit old but in my mind I say I can make it to the bathroom!...

And I've Bertie to keep me on my toes! He has so much energy - he doesn't even take a breath! He likes to be walked three times a day. He sits there and gives you those doe eyes and in the end you have to give in! Since I got Bertie I've lost one a half stone! He's a pain but I've lost a lot of weight!"

The Christians continue to tour all over the UK and in Europe but Garry admits that America has eluded them - and it could be down to their name.

"We went there once but we discovered they like to put people in boxes...like they put us in the religious section in a record shop! My friend was shopping and found our album in the religious section and called to tell me. They couldn't understand our name and thought we were a bunch of blasphemers! "

Does he blame the name for failing to take their success stateside?

"I suppose in a way but I'm not even bothered," he says." It would have been nice to make it in the States but who cares- life's too short..but it's never too late! I'd like to go back there some time. We went to New York and did a few things over there, so who knows."

One thing is for sure, the band remain very busy with live performances.

"The touring has become an on-going thing. We don't make an album and then do a tour on the back of it like the old days. It's the other way round now and we do a lot of albums in my home studio. The mystery has gone about big recording studios as you can do it all at home. We do a lot of live work and on our days off we do recording.

"I've always loved performing live - that's my favourite thing, but it's a lot of fun being in the studio too.

I write a lot of the stuff myself and then pull the other guys in to work it through and help with arrangements."

So how does he look after his voice and keep it sounding so good?

"People ask me all the time over the years and the answer is I don't do anything! With the singing I just learnt it all myself. I've learnt to control it. I think singing lessons would kill it. You just have to do your own natural things."

Garry cites The Temptations, David Bowie and The Beatles as his biggest musical influences and agrees his music has often carried strong messages - not least The Christians’ 1989 hit Harvest for the World, a cover of The Isley Brothers song, which was a charity single that highlighted world hunger.

Today, however, he says: “I suppose now our lyrics are a bit more subtle, but I think even back then we were pretty subtle, we weren’t ones for standing on our soapbox. Without being too political there’s always an awareness with our songs.”

While the new album has the track Mother, he wrote 'Father' back in 1991 which is a deeply personal track with soaring violins and moving lyrics about father/son relationships.

“A lot of people have come up to me and said Father really touched them. Not many songs are written about these kind of relationships."

*The Christians are at Ferneham Hall Fareham on Friday February 17 and at The Regent Centre, Christchurch on Friday February 24

Tickets: Fareham: 01329 231942 www.fernehamhall.co.uk

Regent, Christchurch: 01202 499199 www.regentcentre.co.uk

www.thechristianslive.co.uk