Top of the pops

Back in the fifties, when a dour and drab Britain was still picking itself up off its post-war feet, Wilde and his fellow rock 'n' rollers were laying down the soundtrack to this country's first real youth culture.

He had the fanbase to match -- his shows attracted hundreds of screaming girls and super-cool teddy boys.

Between 1958 and 1962 he had 13 consecutive hits, including Endless Sleep, Bad Boy, Donna, Sea of Love, Rubber Ball, Little Girl, Jezebel and best of all, Teenager In Love.

Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Joe didn't burn out. Instead, when bands like The Beatles took the crown of rock supremacy, he concentrated on his songwriting, launching the career of his daughter Kim, before re-emerging decades later to thrill a whole new audience.

On Sunday, March 14, this most enduring of pop survivors returns to Oxford, along with kindred spirit and jive missionary Joe Brown.

Relaxing over coffee at his home in Hertfordshire, Marty, 64, explained why he couldn't wait to get back on stage.

"It's a peculiar thing, when you are singing on stage you go back in time. It's like an elixir of youth.

"It's not until I get my trousers on in the morning that I realise I am not the young guy I thought I was."

The show at the New Theatre will see separate sets by Marty and Joe. In the second half, they take turns to sing along with each other's bands.

And will they be playing the hits? What do you think! "We were lucky as artists to have sizable hits and feel almost honour-bound to play them," he says solemnly.

"People expect to hear them. It is the same set every night -- though I am having to learn 10 new songs for this show."

He admits many of those singing along will have been there first time around.

"Most people are solid fans who have been there for years," he says. "They love that whole era. It was such a fantastic time to be alive.

"Twenty per cent of the audience will never have seen a show like this before."

To his delight, many punters recreate the glory days of the late fifties: "Some of the girls will dress up in billowing skirts and guys will wear teddy boy gear and sometimes come on bikes."

Marty Wilde and Joe Brown not only share an impeccable rock 'n' roll pedigree. Both have hit-making daughters (Kim Wilde and Sam Brown) and producer sons (Ricky Wilde and Pete Brown). They have both appeared in West End shows and films -- and they are also great mates, as Marty explains: "We get on great. We've both got ways about us, but he's an enthusiastic person and loves what he's doing -- like I do."

To younger people, Kim Wilde is a better known name than Marty's -- selling 10m singles and 5m albums. But Kim's fame gives him great pleasure. Not surprising, since Marty helped build her career -- and wrote her first hit, Kids in America.

"It was a great time for me," he remembers. "It was part of something new and fresh. But it was a strange thing to have a daughter who was a star.

"I didn't want Kim to be a pop singer as I didn't like the life a lot of them led -- being put down by people and running around the country with their belongings in a suitcase. I was very much against it, but she wanted to and sang on a demo Ricky made.

"It was clear she was going to be a very big star."

Marty turns 65 in April, and admits he has tamed down his act. "Like Mao said, you need constant revolution," he explains.

"Me and Joe used to be six or seven-in-the-morning boys; now it's a pot of tea and bed. It's embarrassing really!"

But he insists he has no plans to give up -- at least not while he continues to receive the rapturous reception to which he has become accustomed.

"When you walk off stage to the sound of your own feet, it's time to give up. But if I couldn't play in these lovely theatres I'd still play.

"I may be singing down some lane in the middle of Oxfordshire, but I'd still be happy!"

Marty Wilde &The Wildcats and Joe Brown & The Bruvvers are at the New Theatre, George Street, Oxford, on Sunday March 14 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £14.50-£18.50. Box office 0870 606 3500.