BACK on the road for more scintillating live shows in 2014, Liverpool based soul band The Real Thing mark an incredible 40 years in the business.

The three original vocalists, Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo and Dave Smith are together once more for these must-see shows which will include all the band’s hits plus well known soul and funk classics from the likes of Kool and the Gang and Chic.

With three million selling hit singles including You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You and Can You Feel The Force, plus further top 10 success with You’ll Never Know What You’re Missing and Whenever You Want My Love, the band’s brand of commercial sweet soul music, mixed with disco influences, established The Real Thing as the UK’s best loved soul band.

The UK’s best-selling black group of the late 70s, Mojo magazine founder, Paul Du Noyer, credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s".

With the band’s origins in the Merseybeat boom of the 1960s, lead singer Eddie Amoo formed The Real Thing with brother Chris Ammo, Ray Lake and Dave Smith.

Spotted by an ex-Radio Luxembourg DJ, Tony Hall, they signed to Pye Records in 1975.

With a song written and produced by Ken Gold and Mick Denne, The Real Thing had their first hit in 1976 when You To Me Are Everything sailed to the top of the UK singles chart.

The band went on to have a further nine hits over a three year period which included Can’t Get By Without You, and Can You Feel The Force, both of which were top five success stories.

In 1986 You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You and Can You Feel The Force were all remixed and became huge hits once again, thanks to their huge club following.

Children Of The Ghetto, another classic Amoo brothers’ composition taken from the critically acclaimed album 4 From Eight (released 1977), has been covered worldwide by artists as diverse as Phillip Bailey (of Earth, Wind and Fire) and Courtney Pine.

The song was also featured in the Spike Lee movie Clockers in 1995.

In 2005, Love's Such a Wonderful Thing was sampled by French dance outfit Daft Punk and re-titled So Much Love To Give.

The same year the Freeloaders had a UK Top 10 single with So Much Love to Give which featured The Real Thing resulting in the band charting across three decades.

In more recent times they recorded a cover of The Beatles’ classic Eleanor Rigby which featured on the chart album Liverpool, The Number Ones and have released The Singles Collection a 35-track double album.

The Real Thing regularly perform at the Rewind the 80’s festivals and the Here and Now festivals alongside such artists as Rick Astley, Boy George, Belinda Carlisle, Kool and the Gang and Chic.

They will be performing at Bromsgrove's Artrix on Friday, May 9 at 8pm.

Tickets cost £20 (£18 concessions ) from the box office on 01527 577330 or online at artrix.co.uk.