Magnum admit that it is all a bit of a doddle

Rock legends Magnum will play classic hits when they return to the Black Country on Thursday to headline Bilston's Robin 2.

Support act Simon Lees will open for Magnum, whose line-up will feature Tony Clarkin on guitars, Bob Catley on vocals, Mark Stanway on keyboards, Al Barrow on bass and Harry James on drums.

The progressive band were formed in Birmingham in 1972 by Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley, who had survived numerous line-up changes.

Their biggest success was Chase The Dragon in 1982, which reached the top twenty of the album chart, and featured Soldier Of The Line, Sacred Hour and The Spirit, among others.

Their success continued with the gold-selling On A Storyteller's Night in 1985, which featured Just Like An Arrow.

The band disbanded in 1995 so that Catley could form a new band, but they reunited in 2001 and have since released six more albums.

Last year, they released their most recent album, On The 13th Day, and they remain firm favourites of rockers around the UK. Clarkin revealed in April that he had been in the studio working on and recording new songs, which are set for release in January 2014. The current working title is Escape From The Shadow Garden and it is scheduled for release next year.

Magnum show no signs of slowing down, even though they started working together more than 40 years ago.

Bob Catley said: "The older we get, the easier it becomes. It's a doddle, this is . . . but at a really high level. We've got it right at last; the right people in the band, the right production, the right songs, the right record company, the right fans, right everything . . . fantastic! Magnum can go on for a long time."

The band enjoy recording new music, even though they could make a living by touring. Catley added: "As soon as we get off tour Tony has a couple of days off and then he goes into his 'shed', his studio up his garden, and he starts writing. Just ideas, just playing for the love of creating something new. "That's where Tony is and he has been for a long time now. And I'm right behind him with all that and I can't wait to hear them. I'll probably hear something new again in about six months time, when he's got something to play me.

"When we go out we want to do new songs. We don't want to be a heritage band, that's not our style at all."