Alan Clayson, lead singer of the 1970s rock institution that was Clayson and The Argonauts, is today a well known writer, having penned biographies of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon, The Rolling Stones and Jacques Brel.

Yet his love affair with music has never died and on Thursday, November 14 he heads for Swindon to perform Clayson Sings Chanson, a special night including many tracks from Brel's own portfolio. Alan also performs items from other chansonniers in both Gallic and English.

The following night at the Beehive on Prospect Hill in Old Town he reincarnates the madness of his rock career with The Argonauts.

Alan’s first venture into music was with an Aldershot grammar school boy band called Ace and the Crescents, but he willing admits it was mainly to attract the girls.

“Our principal motivation for starting the group was because we thought it would give us greater licence to talk to girls,’’ he said.

One of his first favourite pop bands was the Dave Clark Five, but then musical lightning was to strike when he heard Freak Out! by Mother’s of Invention.

“This was a pivotal event that informed not so much my artistic direction as an attitude about presentation,’’ he said.

Various bands followed including Billy and the Conquerors, Turnpike, Average Joe and The Men In The Street and finally Clayson and the Argonauts and fame beckoned. “We left the runway in 1976 when John Tobler wrote a flowing New Musical Express report on our set,’’ said Alan.

But even as they were hitting the right notes in the press a few thunder rumblings could be heard in the distance.

“The report was only a fortnight after we’d been hustled out of a palais in Reading at gunpoint. the promoter found our show so “rubbish’’ that he felt entitled not to pay us. One of the Argonauts was jailed for 15 months. Two others quit, one of them was fated to co-produce the Hilda Baker and Arthur Ballard chart buster duet You’re The One That I Want, and the other was to be the father of a future Girls Aloud member.’’ Alan’s life is true rock and roll and today he continues the journey, stopping off to play two free gigs at the Beehive. For more details call 523187. - Flicky Harrison