ANDREW Roachford is very much a singer’s singer; a musician’s musician. The trappings of fame and a constant search for the spotlight are just not part of his make-up.

There’s a charm and integrity about him and it’s obvious even in our relatively brief conversation, that after 30 years in the business, songwriting and singing remain his passion.

With his band Roachford, Andrew had a string of hits including Cuddly Toy and Family Man, and has gone on to be a successful as a solo artists and - more recently – as one of two vocalists with Mike and the Mechanics.

But it is with his own band that Andrew will be heading to Darwen Library Theatre next week.

“Much as I love performing and writing stuff with the Mechanics, this really feels like home to me,” he said. “I guess my thing is a lot looser. There’s a lot more freedom to try other things whereas you have to adhere more to the Mechanics sound when you’re part of the band.

“I think my sound is more soulful compared to the Mechanics. It’s more stripped down. The Mechanics have a big production sound whereas mine is more raw.”

The current solo tour features songs from Andrew’s most recent album, Encore, a series of cover versions of some of his favourite songs.

Given his love for soul, it’s no surprise to find songs by the likes of Sly and the Family Stone and Bill Withers on there, but Elton John’s Your Song is a little unexpected.

“It’s a beautiful song,” said Andrew, “and I just wanted to show it from a different perspective.

“I remember meeting Elton John back in the Nineties and he told me how much a big fan of mine he was. I had a song song called Kathleen from my first album which he said was his kind of pick-me-up song, one he’d always play if he was feeling a bit down which was kind of crazy to hear.

“It made me go back to listen to more of his music and I love his songs.”

Although released early in 2016, Encore remains a priority for Andrew.

“It’s amazing how it can take a while for things to get across to people,” he said. “You just have to keep pushing and pushing.

“Even back in the day when my third album Permanent Shade of Blue first came out, the reception was pretty much luke warm in the beginning and the record company thought it wasn’t really going to happen.

“Then over a period of time it started clicking and it became my best selling album. That’s sometimes how it is.

“Also my audience isn’t 14 and can be hard to reach so it does take a while sometimes. You just have to build momentum.”

Andrew does this with his great live shows rather than relying on publicity stunts.

“I’ve never really played that kind of publicity game,” he said. “I’ve never thought ‘I need to date a Kardashian’ just to sell some records. It’s just not me.

“I’ve always been about the music first, I’ve always been a gigging musician, it’s not about celebrity.

“The weird thing about human nature is we do have this thing about celebrity. People know that it’s manufactured but they don’t seem to care.

“For me it’s not about wanting to be recognised on the street, I just want my albums to be heard by as many people as possible.”

Andrew has already started working on songs for a new album which he hopes to release next year.

“I’ve just started to put together some ideas,” he said. “Encore was basically an album of covers so I really want to now showcase my songwriting again.”

But first there are the live shows including next week’s Darwen date.

“I do dig deep for the live shows,” he said. “But then, most of my peers, the people I grew up listening to, that’s how they performed. You gave it everything.

“As soon as I start to sing that’s how it goes, to be honest, I couldn’t do it any other way.”

Andrew Roachford, Darwen Library Theatre, Friday, November 3. Details from 0844 847 1664 or www.darwenlibrary theatre.com