Bunbury set for smokin' hot Smokie

English rockers Smokie may be heading to Australia this weekend to perform for dedicated fans across the country, but if drummer Steve Pinnell has his way, there will be more to the visit than just live gigs.

Speaking on the phone from his home in the United Kingdom, Pinnell was about to head out for a hit of golf before heavy rain spoiled his plans.

No doubt he will take advantage of our sunny spring weather and take timeout for a round or two before hitting the stage?

‘‘I’ll definitely be getting out there when we are in Australia. We were last there two years ago and I played in Perth as well as at the Cut in Mandurah,’’he said.

Kick starting a three-week-long regional Australian tour at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre next Thursday, Pinnell said it was important to the band to be able to get ‘‘out in the sticks’’ and take their music to fans.

‘‘We seem to have a fan base everywhere so t’s great we don’t just have to go to the cities, we can go to places like Bunbury, Cairns, and sometimes places we’ve never heard of and still get a great crowd,’’ he said.

‘‘The good thing about Australia is that people really know how to enjoy themselves.

‘‘I don’t know if it is the outdoor lifestyle, but people seem to come out to be entertained and it ends up like a party. They see us having a good time so they have a good time.’’

A tough travel schedule has seen the band pass through numerous time zones over the past month, but Pinnell said it was simply part of the job.

‘‘We’ve been doing it for a lot of years now, it is very difficult, but you just have to cope with it and your body accepts it,’’he said.

With a new album, Take a Minute, recently released overseas, Pinnell said audiences could expect mainly classic tunes at next Thursday’s gig, with a few new numbers to be included in an acoustic set.

‘‘We’ll do acoustic stuff to start with to show people a different side of Smokie, then the second set will be songs that everybody knows,’’ Pinnell said.

‘‘That’s when it will be party time, everyone should be up out of their seats singing and dancing by the end.’’

Pinnell said fans could expect classic Smokie hits such as Needles and Pins, Take Good Care of My Baby and, of course, Living Next Door to Alice.

‘‘All the songs that get a good reaction will be there,’’he said.

‘‘They have withstood the test of time and we’ll keep playing them until people get sick of them.’’