TOM HINGLEY The Vic, VIctoria Road, Old Town, Swindon, Thursday April 30. Tickets: £5. 01793 535713.

Noel Gallagher from Oasis was a roadie with the rock band Inspiral Carpets, and the lead singer, Tom Hingley, says Noel actually auditioned to become part of the band.

“He auditioned to sing in the band but he wasn’t good enough,” he said. “We don’t keep in touch now because I am too famous for him.”

Talking to Tom you get the feeling that he is a bit of a joker. He also told me: “Swindon is my spiritual home.”

Let’s hope when he visits the town it will become true but he did promise to play tracks from his latest solo album Thames Valley Delta Blues, when he heads for The 12 Bar.

The singer started off his performing career as a choir boy in Marcham Church, near Abingdon, but was influenced by his big brother who played in pop bands. “It was a bedroom band but they did get to play in Drayton Village Hall,” he said.

The singer moved to Manchester in 1984, studying English at university. He joined the thriving music scene which included such notaries asThe Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays. He formed a band called Too Much Texas before being invited to take the frontman job with Inspiral Carpets in 1989.

It was Tom who wrote many of their top 40 hits including Saturn 5, This Is How It Feels, Two Worlds Collide and She Comes In The Fall.

Tom comes from a large family, with four brothers and two sisters. His father was a don at Oxford University and it wasn’t until he saw his son headline at Reading Festival in 1990 that he realised quite how famous he had become.

“He stood there among 80,000 people in a Reading field. I also remember John Peel bought me a Guiness at that festival,” said Tom. Inspiral Carpets had done a record session for the BBC Radio One DJ’s show.

The singer has three daughters of his own now - Elsa, Sarah and Lilian - but he says they are unimpressed by his fame. “I’m just dad,” he said.

Tom’s latest album is a mix of raw blues, lilting love ballads and brooding lyrics sung in his unmistakable voice.

Thames Valley Blues is out in June on New Memorabilia record label.

Tom is heading off to America to appear on the Southbank Show in Texas. - flicky harrison