Status Quo legend speaks before stripped-back Parr Hall gig

From the Rolling Stones to the Who, and even hosted the first reunion gig of the Stone Roses, in 2012.

Now, the historic venue will play host to one of the finest members of the British rock and roll scene: Francis Rossi, co-founder and lead singer of Status Quo.

Francis will be hanging up his electric guitar and picking up an acoustic for the latest tour (Image: Status Quo)

Known for hits such as 'Rocking all over the world,' and 'Whatever you want,' the iconic British rock band was formed in 1962, before being officially known as Status Quo in 1969.

The band was the opening act at 1985's Live Aid concert and featured on Band Aid's Christmas single the previous year.

Now, Francis Rossi is bringing his stripped-back, personal tour to Parr Hall in spring.

The event promises to offer an intimate insight to the extraordinary life of one of the icons of British rock and roll.

Rossi spoke to the Warrington Guardian ahead of his appearance at Parr Hall in April.

When asked what people should expect from his Tunes and Chat tour, he replied: "Well... Lots of tunes, and lots of chat!

"From my experience of the I Talk Too Much tour, I often found myself going off on a tangent and lots of the shows would overrun - so I thought I should probably warn people about that beforehand."

Status Quo continue to tour, marking more than 60 years since the band was formed by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster (Image: Status Quo)

Francis' latest tour sees the singer ditch his electric guitar and plump for an acoustic set of favourites, interspersed with unscripted anecdotes and tales from his life - both inside and out of the music business.

Talking about his previous conversational tour, I Talk Too Much, Francis told the Warrington Guardian: "My manager told me 'Do not wander off on tangents' - but the tangent leads off to great places - from stories about Jimi Hendrix, to talking about my dog, Nancy!"

When asked how it is to perform beloved Status Quo hits in the wake of bandmate Rick Parfitt's death in 2016, Francis said: "The time I notice it on stage is when singing 'Whatever you want.'

"[The band] was used to him being ill or incapacitated in some way in the later years, but he always seemed to bounce back.

"Except that time he just didn't. I miss the person I knew."

Francis added that he still feels close to Rick at times, saying: "There have been times when I've even dreamed about him and found myself saying 'Hang on, Rick, I thought you were supposed to be dead!' and he would just reply 'Yeah, about that...'"

Cutting through the noise of self-promotion and sycophancy, Francis said he dislikes when artists act as though they aren't trying to sell something.

Status Quo's lead singer is bringing his stripped-back tour to Warrington (Image: Francis Rossi)

He said: "You only ever hear of us when we have something to sell - but that's show business!

"Because it's not real you can start to believe all the PR, and start believing that you're a legend - but everyone is a legend, these days.

"Not believing the hype keeps me grounded, and I'm still deeply insecure."

Francis Rossi brings his Tunes and Chat tour to Parr Hall on Friday, April 21, at 7.30pm - for more information and tickets, visit CultureWarrington's website.

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