One of the most colourful characters in pop history is heading for Swindon this weekend. Bez, from the chart busting band Happy Mondays, is playing a DJ set at MECA.

Presented by Pighill Promotions, the Madchester evening sees tribute band, Happy Mondaze, bring the 1980's Hacienda vibe to the Regent Circus venue on Saturday September 3 from 7.30pm, before Bez takes to spinning the wheels of steel.

Bolton-born Bez was the son of a police detective inspector. He went to live with his grandmother in Wigan when he was 16-years-old and was invited by Shaun Ryder, lead singer with Happy Mondays to join the band shortly after they formed.

The band's second single Freaky Dancin' summed up Bez on stage, with his quirky dance routines and the manic music he made with his maracas.

Happy Mondays were known for such hits as Squirrel and G Man, Bummed, Pills 'n' Thrills andYes Please. When they split Bez went with Shaun to his new band Black Grape. The dancer wrote a book on his experiences in both bands appropriately called Freaky Dancin'.

Happy Mondays reformed briefly in 1998 and then Bez went on to become a popular media personality, appearing on such programmes as The Sunday Show and Celebrity Big Brother which he won in 2005.

To save a few pennies he allowed the crew from Pimp My Ride UK to customise his London black cab, and he ended up with heaps of speakers, amps, DVD player, TV screens, a camera and even the Taxi sign on top replaced with the word Pimp.

In 2007 the band got back together for the third time and released the studio album Uncle Dysfunktional.

A year later Bez went head to head with royal correspondent James Whitaker on TV's Don't Call Me Stupid, and beat him. He then threw himself literally in to the small screen world by taking part in ITV2's Adrenaline Junkie, where he was involved in the world's biggest bungee jump down the front of the dam which was featured in the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

In more recent years Bez decided to run as a candidate for the Salford and Eccles constituency in 2014, his manifesto was for free energy, free food and free anything. He lost to new Labour Party candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey.

On Saturday in Swindon the madcap dancer will be wearing his DJ cap and bringing his son, Arlo 'Bez Junior' Berry, who is an up and coming club DJ in his own right.

Tickets are £12 in advance, £15 on the door from www.mecaswindon.co.uk or pighillpromotions.com/tickets - Flicky Harrison