AS I speak to Kevin Morris, who has been Dr Feelgood’s drummer since 1982, he is enjoying the sunshine over the Thames Estuary at his home near the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff.

Having recently returned from touring in France and Finland, the Leigh local deserves a bit of a rest, though he probably has a lot more stamina than most of us to keep up such a hectic lifestyle for so long.

Then again, travel has its perks, and who could complain of a life performing to adoring fans all over the world?

“The Finns love what we do, so we’ve always gone over there,”

said Kevin, 59.

“They’re pretty bonkers and love a drink, so they’re our kind of people. We’re back out there in July and August, doing some festivals, having just done four clubs.

“We’ve always gone everywhere – Japan, Australia, anywhere that will have us – and I think we’re lucky because our music is very straightforward and easy for people to get into.”

Kevin also has a connection with France, having spent some time across the Channel playing with French heavy metal band Trust, immediately prior to joining Dr Feelgood on the departure of original drummer John “The Big Figure” Martin.

Kevin said: “I had been playing with this French band, who were massive in 1980, and had just got back in the country, wondering what to do, when I got a call from Lee Brilleaux, the original Dr Feelgood singer, on the Monday saying ‘you’re starting Wednesday.’ “I had played in an embryonic version of the band, the Wild Bunch, when we were at Sweyne School in Rayleigh, but when I left school I went professional with another band.”

Conflict with Brilleaux had led Wilko Johnson to leave the band some five years before Kevin’s arrival, but the two had contact during Wilko’s well-documented fight and eventual victory over cancer – not least because people still send Wilko’s fan mail to the band.

“We still get mail to our office that says ‘Wilko Johnson, care of Dr Feelgood’ so I hop round to see him every so often with the mail. I saw him just before his last stint in hospital.

“I didn’t know him because, when I was in the group, they had a different guitar player. It was only when Wilko joined that they changed the name to Dr Feelgood, but when Lee died (in 1994, of lymphoma), I did talk to him about the group, what he was doing and how we planned to carry on.”

Carry on they did, and the band have now made their Palace gigs an annual event, with the shows continuing to attract a surprisingly mixed audience.

“I remember seeing bands at the Palace when I was about 15 and we’ve always liked that venue because, with it being a smaller venue, you get a much better sound than somewhere like the Cliffs,” said Kevin.

“We get people seeing us who have been coming to shows for many years and also for the first time – a real cross section of an audience.

“We sometimes get people who first listened to us through ,an older sibling’s or parents’ records and, we often talk to people at the merchandising stands. It’s amazing how people get into the band.”

The question is, however, why should anyone who has not heard them yet go and see the band?

Kevin said: “We put a lot of enthusiasm into what we do and don’t take any prisoners.

“It’s full-on rhythm and blues and, if that’s what you like, you may as well get a shot of it.”

Tickets for Dr Feelgood at the Palace Theatre, London Road, Westcliff, are between £22 and £18, with £1 off for concessions, and are available by calling 01702 351135 or by visiting southendtheatres.org.uk