BRITISH rock legend Justin Hayward stops off in Wirral later this year as part of an eight-date UK tour.

The singer, songwriter, guitarist and member of 60s band The Moody Blues will be at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton with his Intimate Evening.. show on Wednesday, July 8.

It will feature songs from his 2013 solo album Spirits Of The Western Sky, alongside a mix of classic and rarely heard Moody Blues songs and his worldwide hit Forever Autumn from Jeff Wayne's classic album War Of The Worlds.

His solo tour will follow a national tour as part of The Moody Blues, which starts in June. Special guest for the evening will be Mike Dawes Looking ahead to the solo tour, Justin told the Globe this week: "It is a joy for me - I'm able to present these songs as they were written, on the guitars that I played on the original sessions.

"It gives me a chance to share all the stories behind the songs.

"Mike Dawes is a brilliant guitar player. He brings an extra magic to the music which is jaw-dropping."

Justin's status as one of the most prolific singer-songwriters in music was sealed with the plethora of hits he penned for The Moodys.

They included Nights In White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, Question, The Voice, Your Wildest Dreams and I Know You're Out There Somewhere, to name just a few.

The group has performed and recording for nearly 50 years, selling more than 60 million albums.

Their first full studio album, Days Of Future Passed, was released in 1967 and stayed on the Billboard charts for over two years.

It featured what would become one of the biggest-selling singles of all time Nights In White Satin. In 1994, the band was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame.

Looking back on the band's early days, Justin recalled: "When I first joined The Moodies we gave ourselves about three weeks.

"I don't think any of us knew what would happen. The Moodies have been through a lot of change, but this is the happiest incarnation of the band that I've ever had.

"We're at the stage now where we have got an incredible back catalogue of work and are still hugely popular.

"I think we were very fortunate in America in the 1980s, with the album In Our Wildest Dreams and our longevity is down to that."

Looking to the future, Justin ended: "I still want to keep writing and expressing myself through music.

"What I want, most of all, is to strengthen my connection with audiences, and I hope to do that at the Floral Pavilion in July."

Tickets for his Floral Pavilion show are from the box office on 0151 666 0000.