ONE of the biggest pop bands of the ‘80s, Culture Club, are performing at Haydock Park Racecourse on Saturday night.

Following an afternoon of racing, the original line-up of Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss will take to the stage at around 8.30pm, to play their biggest hits, as well as a number of ‘70s and ‘80s classics, including some Bowie tracks.

Ahead of the concert, guitarist and keyboard player Roy Hay spoke to the Star.

He said: “This is new experience for us - I’m not sure what to expect but it’s a great opportunity to do something different! We are doing Epsom on Thursday, Newmarket on Friday and Haydock on Saturday... so by Saturday we’ll have perfected the show!

“It’s great to play at the big arenas, but this should have more of a festival atmosphere.

“I’ve not been to the north west for a long time, I can’t wait. I’m a huge golf fan, so it’s a bonus that I can go to the open on Sunday!

“It’ll be a sporting weekend – I’ll be hanging out at Haydock during the day and I’ll do a couple of bets. I don’t follow horse racing but last time I was at the races I got some good insider tip-offs, so hopefully that will happen again!”

He said the concert would be a “big party”, including Culture Club classics Karma Chameleon, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Time (Clock of the Heart) and Church of the Poison Mind, as well as “a bunch of covers from the ‘70s and ‘80s”.

“We can play anything,” he said: “We’re a great band; there’s also going to be a brass section with us and some backing singers.

“I’m sure George will be on flamboyant form – one thing’s for sure, he won’t come on stage in jeans and a shirt!”

Roy, a trained pianist from the age of five, was born in Essex and worked as a hairdresser before becoming involved with Culture Club.

In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and wrote and produced for artists and bands for Sony Music. He then branched into commercial composing and sound design with his own company Haywired Music and found success in Hollywood, alongside film score composer Hans Zimmer.

He said: “There’s so much live music now in the UK, especially over summer, so many festivals. When I was young there was Reading and Leeds and that was about it. People are spoilt for choice nowadays.”

The action kicks off earlier in the day with a six-race card. Tickets, costing £30, are available via ticketquarter.co.uk/online/culture-club.