WITH his famous-sounding name, Bill Lennon should perhaps be doing a tribute act as as Beatle, and not as the balladeer Bob Dylan; so what can the audience at the Artrix expect, when he takes to the stage there, this June?

Bill said: "It's a show which is both poignant and rocking in equal measure, performed by genuine Dylan fans who take pride and pleasure in reproducing the songs exactly the way people remember hearing them. Think of a Dylan concert in his full mid-sixties pomp and prime, throw in some carefully chosen visual projections to set the scene, a few stories about Dylan’s life and songs, and you’re getting very warm."

But how did the idea for the show come about?

Bill said: "It’s a no brainer really – I have always been a fan and really it was just waiting for the right time. And although there have been other Dylan tributes, I felt it needed a proper theatre show to really do it justice. In terms of the show’s currency and appeal, the Nobel Prize award is the icing on the cake."

So when did Bill start being a fan of Bob Dylan's music?

He said: "My dad had The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan on vinyl when I was a kid and I fell in love with it. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, which we do in the show, is the one that really sticks out for me from that album – it seems to be a fan favourite. I also remember hearing Positively 4th Street and Like A Rolling Stone back to back on the radio when I was a teenager and the sound of those records just blew me away."

Does Bill have a favourite Bob Dylan song?

He said: "Well we do about 25 in the show and they’re all a joy to perform in their own way, but I guess it would be either Quinn The Eskimo, which was of course a massive hit for Manfred Mann, or Rainy Day Women Nos. 12&35, simply because the band just have so much fun with them, as do the audience."

What does Bill make of the recent Nobel Prize award?

Bill said: "He’s certainly earned it considering his contribution to popular culture over the last half century. I challenge anyone to read the lyrics to songs like Tangled Up In Blue, Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall, Like A Rolling Stone, Subterranean Homesick Blues and then tell me the guy’s not a poet."

So why is Bob Dylan such a legend?

Bill said: "He is an absolute legend, and actually has written many songs that might cause even non-Dylan fans to question their judgement."

What are the trickiest things about performing Dylan’s music?

Bill said: "For me, committing all the lyrics to memory so they can just flow out without me even thinking about it. As for the band, it’s been about reproducing the sounds and notes as authentically as possible so that the audience hears the songs the way they remember them. But they’ve done a fantastic job. They’re all brilliant musicians as well as being fans of the music and this show is lucky to have them.

The show, The Bob Dylan Story, comes to the Artrix in Bromsgrove on Thursday June 29, from 8pm.

Tickets on 01527 577 330 or book online at www.artrix.co.uk