CLIVE Jackson is best known to millions as the chalk-faced vocalist of Doctor And The Medics.

And the man behind the makeup and mascara brings his unholy union of psychedelia, glam and punk to the Ribble Valley’s Beat-Herder Festival next week.

“We are headlining the Beat-Herder and District Working Men’s Social Club - and it’s my birthday,” said Clive.

“Blimey.....I’ll go on stage at midnight aged 52 and finish the gig as a 53-year-old.

“I love festivals, they are such an essential part of British life, they should be savoured and protected.

“We played Stonehenge Free Festival in 1982, and it was like a Mad Max Movie.

“There were wizards, hippies, fire-eaters, Hell’s Angels, and a friendly ice cream man.

“The festival scene has changed, but it is still a very special experience.

“Festivals are still one of the main reasons I play music - to put a smile on people’s faces.”

The Medics shot to fame with their catchy number one hit Spirit in The Sky, and Clive still makes a living from gigging with the band who have just celebrated 30 years together.

“We celebrate and embrace Spirit In The Sky, it has played such a massive role in our lives,” said Clive.

“We were going along a very straight road and a hit single was never on the cards.

“Suddenly ‘Spirit’ came out of the blue and we took a detour into No Man’s Land and suddenly we were on Top Of The Pops and touring the world.”

Away from the rock and roll carnage of Doctor And The Medics, father-of-four Clive lives in a Mid Wales village.

“A year before our hit with ‘Spirit’ I had a car accident in Paris, when I went through the windscreen,” he recalled.

“I was badly injured and to recuperate our manager sent me to a cottage in Wales.

“I was there for a week and it totally changed my outlook and I decided I wanted to live there.

“It allows me to live a normal life with my family.

“Coming from a London community, what I liked about rural Wales was that suddenly you were judged for who you were instead of material things.

“To be honest I think if I’d stayed in London, where I was also running a nightclub, I’d have probably been far less balanced and happy.”

Clive, who used to share a management company with the late punk singer Ian Dury, spoke of how the star envied his anonymity “Ian said I was so lucky to be able to take my make-up off and have a separate existence.

“He was recognised everywhere he went and said it sometimes got him down.

“Unless you’ve been famous, I think it’s hard to understand how refreshing it can be to be allowed to be yourself.

“There are times when I’ve come off stage and I’ve forgotten to take the make-up off and I’ve been in a petrol station or the chippy and people are looking at me like I’m mad.”

The Beat-Herder Festival, near Sawley, runs from Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7.

Headline acts include Chic with Nile Rodgers, Jimmy Cliff and dance pioneers Groove Armada.

Tickets are available from Townsend Records in Clitheroe or via the website www.beatherder.co.uk