IT was a trip down memory lane for Steve Harley when he played in Preston on Saturday.

The self-confessed seventies glam icon reminisced about the time he was here in late in 1974 and '75, maybe even '76, too. But he was in 'the big room' then, in the Guild Hall, with the band.

These days, like the rest of us, he has mellowed somewhat, and so has his music, but he still managed to give a rocking rendition of What Did They Do To The Blues? and the loyal fans sang along. Only this year there were a few hundred listening instead of a few thousand.

"Where did they all go to?" he mused.

"They are probably all in the big room watching Paul Weller," I thought to myself.

Steve Harley may have come down to earth a bit since the Best Years of Our Lives but he still knows how to play that guitar to distraction.

Make Me Smile did just that even though he made us wait until the second half for it, when he played some as yet unrecorded material.

But if you missed seeing him in the Charter Theatre, don't miss seeing him tonight on Channel 5 on a variety show, complete with ventriloquist.

My, what have things come to.