PERCHED atop a bunk bed, on a tour bus, sandwiched between eight ‘boys’, sounds like the sleepover from hell.

It certainly has had its drawbacks but The South’s Alison Wheeler has developed coping mechanisms over the years – call it survival instinct –and she has even learned to relish life on the road - with her rambunctious band mates.

“On a tour bus there is nowhere to hide,” she laughs. “We sleep on bunks, three on top of each other. It’s difficult to be polite when someone hits your bum with his foot trying to mount on the bed.

“And if you’ve got a broken chemical toilet, it can heighten emotions. Imagine the squalor, with men choosing not to change their socks. The tour bus is not exotic or rock and roll.

“Anyway I end up picking up my own bad habits from them. I become a bit of a lad at the end of a three-week tour.”

But she gave up long ago any hope of ‘keeping up with the boys’, who after more than 20 years on the road, have yet to be weaned from their partying ways.

“Their stamina has not dropped off 20 years down the road. The drinking culture in the band is still very strong. I must admit when I first joined I tried to keep up but I learnt my lesson.”

The Beautiful South was formed in 1988 with Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway at the helm and rose to fame with a string of hit singles such as Rotterdam, Don't Marry Her, Perfect 10 and A Little Time.

Alison would not join the band as lead vocalist until 2002.

After years spent struggling to make her mark on the music industry, the mother-of-two had resolved to pack in her career when a letter from Paul Heaton landed on her doormat extending an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“I tried for ten years to make inroads into music when I left university,” she adds. “I joined a gospel choir called Citizen K and we were really fortunate, we did the MOBOs. Three of us were asked to do a session with Dave Hemingway who was doing a solo album. He said my voice would really suit the band and that he would recommend me to Paul. But I didn’t hear anything for about a year. I decided it was time to give up and get a proper job. I went on this amazing holiday and when I got home there was this letter on the doormat from Paul. It was an amazing lifeline.”

As a fully-fledge member of The Beautiful South she realised her childhood dream of performing on Top of the Pops – albeit to a somewhat unexpected crowd.

“In a twist of fate the booking system had failed so there was no audience. All of a sudden an email went round the BBC building asking people, whatever their department, to come and watch. Apparently there were a lot of people from HR and accounts. It was magical.”

Following the band’s split in 2007 due to ‘musical similarities’ Dave and Alison formed The South with fellow mainstays from the original touring band.

“It was really sad when the band broke up,” admits Alison. “I did hit a bit of a dip thinking ‘What on earth am I going to do now?’ Thank the Lord, after a year Dave asked; ‘If I wanted to approach the other members and continue would you be interested?’ I said yes of course.”

Composing new material with the fledgling The South (“Keeping the name would have been wrong”, insists Alison) proved a liberating but time-consuming process.

“Paul and Dave were the driving force creatively. Now it’s a very democratic process. It’s been liberating. But having nine people can make it slow to get things done. That’s why it took so long to get the album out.”

And The South’s debut album Sweet Refrains certainly will not be the last.

“I’m not going anywhere,” booms Alison. “Let’s hope that we’ve got many years ahead of us.”

The South will perform new material and favourites from The Beautiful South’s back catalogue at the Theatre On The Hill in Marlborough on Saturday, June 6. To book tickets go to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/search/searchVenue.asp?venue_id=90026 or call 0333 666 3366.