DAVID Bowie's legendary drummer Woody Woodmansey heads to Liverpool as part of a tour marking the release of a new album.

The last surviving member of Bowie's band The Spiders From Mars is playing a gig at the O2 Academy in Liverpool on June 18 as part of his group's Holy Holy tour.

Also in the group is former Bowie and T-Rex music producer Tony Visconti, Glenn Gregory from Heaven 17 and Spandau Ballet's sax player Steve Norman.

The tour coincides with the release of an historic live version of Bowie's seminal album The Man Who Sold the World – Live in London, which was recorded at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London in September last year.

It was the first time Woody and Tony had worked together since the original album was recorded in 1970.

During an interview at the Globe's office this afternoon, Yorkshire-born Woody said: "If you're into early Bowie classic tracks, this is for you."

On getting back with Tony for the first time in 44 years for last year's concert, Woody said: "It's uncanny, really. Because when Tony came over from New York he sat and learned the set.

"He wrote it all out, note for note, and we weren't too sure he could handle it. We were going to do the first day of recording without him.

"But he threw his bags down in the hotel and thought 'sod it', picked his bass up and said 'right, what are we doing then?' and that was that.

"We went straight into the first number and the rest was really easy."

Asked if Woody would work with Bowie again he said: "I would work again with him in the right situation.

"When we finished working together all those years ago we probably ended off enemies at that time, for lots of different reasons.

"But I dropped into the studio one day and we were fine. He said 'if you need me for anything get in touch'.

"When he found out about what we are doing now, he gave it the thumbs up, which was nice. He could have slagged us off, I guess.

"The Man Who Sold The World was probably a little bit ahead of its time, in concept and lyrics; nobody was doing anything like that.

"The cover probably didn't help at the time, with David sat there in a dress. You would never have imagined a Hendrix album or Led Zeppelin album with Hendrix and Led Zep on the cover in a dress."

On the Holy Holy band's line-up, Woody said: "The best thing about it is that they all got into music through the Spiders' first three albums.

"It's still there in them and the chance for them to perform these songs is fantastic.

"It serves two purposes at the same. You're getting a fan, who's also a celebrity and a great musician doing it and that adds something. That combination creates something that is different, but the same kind of magic."

Woody was in Wirral to see Marc Almond, who appears on the new album is at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton tonight as part of his tour.

He said "Marc has been a special guest on the album. He was amazing, came into rehearsals and we would be running through songs maybe twice.

"He'd come in and we'd go through the songs about five times. He was so professional in getting it right."

On the Spiders' success, Woody said: "As a musician we were all familiar with getting hits. But if somebody had said that our music would still be getting played 40-odd years later, our reaction would be 'you're having a laugh aren't you?

"But when we finished Life On Mars, we knew we really had something there. Everybody had to get on board and raise the bar. After it had been mixed, it was like 'oh, my God' and our jaws dropped.

"It was the first time we listened to it and it was like it wasn't us. At the time there was nothing else out there, so there was nothing to compare.

"In those days it was all about making a record for musicianship than making one that was commercial.

"With Man Who Sold The World and Hunky Dory there was the feeling that the band had something but it wasn't really there yet.

"The whole time was one creative period; the music, the lights and the costume. You kept with it, because you felt it was right. It was a massive gamble, but paid off.

"Now it's right; the music's right, we like it and we want to present it in a way that will put it across even better than just the music."

Tickets for the show are from the box office on 0151 707 3200.