Been around the world - and now she is coming to Peterborough

Lisa is supporting Simply Red on The Embankment on June 11, the concert being part of three magical music events by the river that weekend.

"I haven't got an album out or anything so the gigs with Simply Red are just a nice way to get back into things,” says Lisa.

"It is just nice to be back out again, after the pandemic, and outdoor shows are such a great feeling.”

Despite being on the Manchester scene with Simply Red all those years ago, Lisa adds: “We knew of each other and we have met Mick (Hucknall) a few times so it will be nice as we have never performed together but will be on the same stage after 30 odd years.”

Something of a child star Lisa was a regular on TV while at school but insists: “I had a normal teenage existence but it was just a bit different to other people's. I would turn up to school, having been on TV the night before, and people would just say ‘oh you were good on the tele last night Lisa’ and that was it. It was just a very matter of fact thing which was nice because I didn’t get big headed from it all.”

A reluctant solo artist Lisa was part of Blue Zone (with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris) when she co-wrote and performed People Hold On with Coldcut in 1989.

“We just had a bit of free studio time so we basically had a bit of a play around and People Hold On came out of it,” she says

And because no one wanted two band names on the record it was just Lisa’s that appeared .

Months later, of course, and everyone knew Lisa’s name as Affection (written with Ian and Andy) was released to great acclaim, spawning This Is The Right Time and All Around The World.

“It was a like a tribute to Barry White, a pastiche of one of his songs,” she says. “The whole style was based on Barry White and he was so gracious and acknowledged it with so much love.”

So much so that they recorded a duet some years later with an iconic video.

“It was incredible, we made friends and he was such a lovely man,” she adds. “That was the first time that we met and we had such a good time. I get such a warm feeling from that video.”