It all seems a bit of a shock. After five decades as one of the UK's most soulful vocalists, Chris Farlowe has decided he can't stand R&B.

"As far as I'm concerned it's got nothing to do with what we do. It's rubbish, soulless and made with machines."

But fans should fear not: Farlowe is railing against today's chart R&B, which bears about as much relation to the sounds of the Mississippi Delta as Pop Tarts do to quails' eggs.

Fans will, in fact, be reassured to learn Farlowe returns in typically robust voice as part of the Third Maximum Rhythm'n'Blues Tour playing Bournemouth Pavilion tomorrow night.

Featuring The Manfreds, Long John Baldry, Farlowe & Colin Blunstone, the tour may have an all-'60s line-up, but it's a far cry from the anaemic 1960s pop packages usually doing the rounds.

"We sell out because we're good. We've got good musicians behind us - some of them are in their twenties but they are superb. Plus you've got singers like Colin Blunstone, who's just an inspiration to me," said Farlowe.

He might not be the first person to spring to mind as a '60s survivor but he's had quite a career since he won the All England Skiffle Championships in 1957

Born John Deighton, he took the surname of American guitarist Tal Farlow, added the forename and formed The Thunderbirds - named after his favourite car.

Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds became legendary on the '60s R&B circuit, up with The Yardbirds, for producing exceptional musicians including Carl Palmer and Dave Greenslade.

As a solo artist, he notched up a slew of hits including Out Of Time and Handbags and Gladrags, recently given a new lease of life by The Stereophonics.

The 1970s were no less prolific for Farlowe, with spells with jazz-rock giants Colosseum, Vincent Crane's Atomic Rooster and a reformed Thunderbirds.

Punk and management hassles forced Chris into semi-retirement, touring with the likes of Alexis Korner, Jon Lord and Pete York, before he became a regular on the European R&B circuit.

Farlowe played the Pavilion as recently as January as support for Van Morrison and engaged with him in some inspired call-and-response duets - visibly tickling the legendarily grumpy Morrison.

"We both come from the same times and the same places so we understand each other. If one of us says, 'do you remember this B-side', the other one picks up on it. We know where we're coming from."

Chris Lawrenson