SINGER Lloyd Cole won't be making too much of a commotion when he plays at Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton on Thursday June 26.

He now plays it solo, having parted company with his band The Commotions back in 1987 when he moved to the USA.

Now aged 42, Lloyd formed The Commotions back in 1982, while studying philosophy at the University of Glasgow.

The quality of his four musicians' playing and his own perceptive and highly literate songs soon led to a record contract with Polydor.

The label released the band's debut album, Rattlesnake, in 1984, a feast of jangling guitar pop enriched with wry lyrics which won immediate critical acclaim.

Though not hugely popular in the commercial sense, Lloyd Cole and The Commotions had several minor hits with Perfect Skin, Brand New Friend and Lost Weekend, plenty of radio airplay and a huge cult fan base for their live gigs.

Following the release of 1987's Mainstream album Cole disbanded The Commotions and moved to New York City to establish himself as a solo performer. His eponymous 1990 debut album continued in much the same vein as his work with The Commotions, but 1991's Don't Get Weird on Me, Babe marked a major artistic shift, with half of the album featuring lush string arrangements.

Over the last decade, Lloyd, who continues to live in Manhattan with his wife and son, has recorded another half-dozen albums.

Truely commercial success has continued to elude him, but the songwriting is as honest and thoughtful as ever, and his work has gradually returned to a more minimalist folk-rock style.

Lloyd made a series of solo appearances in the USA after the release of his She's A Girl and I'm A Man album.

The success of these intimate affairs, which revealed Lloyd at the top of his form both as a songwriter and performer, has led him back to the UK for a similar series of acoustic evenings including the Turner Sims gig.

Tickets cost £15. Box office: 023 8059 5151. The concert starts at 8pm.

For an exclusive interview with Lloyd Cole, don't miss What's On in this Friday's Daily Echo.