It's 40 years since cult blues band Nine Below Zero played their first gig in the pub which backed onto their secondary school in the Old Kent Road.

Since then, they have released 23 albums, travelled the world and are now in the midst of their latest tour 'Are we there yet?'.

Lead singer and guitarist Dennis Greaves remembers when the band first started out in 1979 as a group of young Londoners with a love of blues music in a predominately punk scene.

He said: "If you'd have told me in 1970 when I watched the film Woodstock that 10 years later I would be performing alongside artists who were at that very festival, Joe Cocker and Alvin Lee for example, I wouldn't have believed you.

"It all started when we were kids and used to watch the equipment arrive for gigs at the Thomas A Becket pub which backed onto our school.

"I remember our first gig was at that pub- and Beryl, the eccentric landlady, gave us a slot every Tuesday. It was probably full of mums and dads but we got brilliant experience, it was a bit like an apprenticeship."

As the band grew in popularity in the early 1980s, they were able to travel all over the world, with America being one of Dennis' favourite places to perform.

The 62-year-old who now lives in Greenwich said: "People turn up on the dot, if you say doors open at 7.30pm they'll be there are 7.30pm, but in England they swan in a lot later. But to be fair, despite this, home is always going to be best."

Dennis also prefers smaller gigs. He added: "I've never really enjoyed a gig with more than 1,000 people. The performer becomes a little dot on a stage and if the wind blows the wrong way you can't hear them.

"One of the best gigs I ever went to was Prince in LA because it was small and intimate."

Dennis is now touring with five others, including his 21-year-old son Sonny.

He said: "My son's been on the road since he was a baby in his crib. A guy came up to me the other night at a gig and gave us both a cuddle because he thought it was great we were playing together.

"I recommend music if you want to connect with your children, it gives you a special bond."

Nine Below Zero's tour began at Dartford's Mick Jagger Centre and will be returning to Kent for a show in Booking Hall, Dover on November 1.

Click here to get your tickets.

To find out what’s going on in the county and for all the latest entertainment news click here.