He's returned to cover for Bernie Shaw, who's bowed out to receive routine medical treatment. As a result, fans at Heep concerts across Europe in May will be entertained by Lawton, who fronted the outfit between 1976 and 1979.

Box says: "I'm delighted to welcome back my old mate to the band. With Bernie off duty for a short while, John was the most obvious choice. Having worked with John on a recent feature film called Love.net, I knew his pipes were in great shape, and that he'd be accepted readily by the Heep fans.