HE'S one of the legends of disco-soul music and the voice behind some of the biggest songs of the 70s. What's On's Noel Davies chatted with Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown from his home in Barbados, ahead of the star's show at Bournemouth's Pavilion theatre on February 25

ERROL Brown is in a sombre mood. The Hot Chocolate legend hasn't written a song for more than three years and he doesn't intend doing so for a while yet.

"What's the point," he sighs. "I don't feel inspired. I would only write for other people now.

"To be honest I lost music some years ago," he admits.

"The big problem with music today, is the record companies coming into studios and playing around with the songs. That great chemistry you had playing in a studio with a live band has gone. Now companies can mould the sounds they want through technology.

"I rarely hear something that makes me jump up and listen. Maybe someone like Beyonce, but for me, music is just too mechanical. It has lost that soul. I guess a lot of this is to do with my age. It's difficult for me to get involved with today's scene. Some people in their 50s try to hang in there, but kids today have their own vibes and sounds."

Errol sights the release of his last solo album as the definitive turning point in his attitude towards music. The record didn't ignite the interest he had hoped for, with most journalists and reporters keen to talk about songs he had written 20 years earlier.

"I feel the radio stations aren't that interested in me," admits Errol, best known for hits like You Sexy Thing and It Started With a Kiss.

"You can be flavour of the month one minute, and then forgotten the next. It's wrong, but that's how it is. You cannot change it.

"Music should be played because people like it, not because it fits the trend of the moment. There are audiences out there who want to hear music like mine, but it's the stations that dictate what is and isn't played.

"I find that situation very frustrating. Three years ago I made an album. I put my heart into it, but all I got were questions about songs I had written years ago. Such a lot of energy went into that record and it just feels like it was wasted."

Instead Errol, the only singer to score a chart hit for 15 consecutive years between 1970 and 1985, prefers to keep his fans happy by touring every couple of years around the UK's theatre's and pavilions.

"It's exciting because I still love performing. To sing in front of a live audience is very rewarding," smiles the 55-year-old.

Errol Brown performs live at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, on February 25. Tickets £19. Box office: 0870 111 3000.