KIRK Brandon has been through it all, serious health problems and infamous court cases, but he has consistently written some compelling and uncompromising songs with his band Spear of Destiny.

Spear of Destiny, and Theatre of Hate before them, have always had their own sound, thanks in part to Brandon’s fiery vocals.

And Spear of Destiny’s latest album – titled 31 – marks three decades for Brandon as the band’s leader, and to celebrate the occasion they return to Blackburn King George’s Hall as part of a nationwide tour.

“When I had heart surgery four years ago the surgeon said to me, ‘What are you going to do now?

“I replied, ‘The same as I did before. I would continue to live my life as I have lived it – as a full and free thinker.

“I wasn’t going to spend six days a week waiting for Match of the Day, sipping cocoa, smoking a pipe and wearing slippers.

“I said, ‘Why should I stop. Music is my life.’ “He agreed, and that’s what I’ve done. This old war horse will run until they drop it with a bullet to the head.

“I feel very lucky to be here, and I for one never imagined it would, or I would, actually last that long. I feel very fortunate.”

Brandon rode the first wave of punk with his first band, The Pack, later exploring his political ideas in Theatre of Hate and the classic pop themes of love and romance with Spear of Destiny.

“It was a very politicized youth in that era, straight after punk and into the early 1980s.

“I think people instantly got it then, and maybe that was a hangover from our parents’ time when they engaged with politics and possibly questioned things much more than the current generation.

“But you do have to protest or they will kick it right back at you and walk all over you.”

In 1997 he went to court to dispute a book detailing a relationship with Boy George in the 1980s.

Brandon will also be dusting down Theatre of Hate when he takes them on the road for a short tour in December.

“Our music has an edge, a threat,” he said. “When we play Legion, one of the first Theatre of Hate songs, it still sounds angry and relevant in these times.

“Some of the songs we’ve done with both bands are very naïve but I guess that’s part of their charm.”