For 70s rocker Dave Hill, weekends are for family time but back in the day it was playing at festivals and Hollywood films. Here he reveals his favourite pastimes.

It’s Friday afternoon. What’s on your mind?

I’m often away performing at weekends, mostly in Scandinavian countries, so on a Friday I’m usually doing a spot of last-minute packing before being driven to Heathrow Airport to catch a flight. Don Powell and I still perform and there are two Slade albums coming out before Christmas.

Who normally has the pleasure of your company at the weekend?

My wife and our three children when they’re around. I became a granddad three months ago so we’re all particularly taken with the new arrival.

How do you prepare for a big night out?

A shower and a shave.

What’s your favourite party outfit?

I’ve still got my silver-spray platform boots from the 70s but I couldn’t wear them now. I fell over in them once and spent an entire tour in 1973 having to play sitting down with my foot in plaster. Not very rock ‘n’ roll. The dressing up was part of the entertainment. Before we were famous, I used to walk through Woolworths in Wolverhampton in an outfit I’d put together and if it got a reaction, it made it onto stage. But these days I go for casual-smart.

You’ve just arrived at the bar. What’s your first drink?

Sparkling water first, wine later.

What’s your favourite nightspot and why?

When you perform in clubs for a living, you don’t really want to hang out in them. I sometimes catch a show at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton. I saw ZZ Top there recently and took my son.

What tune always gets you on the dance floor?

All Right Now by Free. Paul Rodger’s guitar work is brilliant.

It’s a sunny Saturday. What are you up to?

If I’m not working, my perfect weekend is staying in a hotel in the Cotswolds with my lovely wife. We have a favourite place where we just hang out and relax.

What’s your most memorable weekend ever and why?

Blimey, I’ve had a lot of them. Professionally, it was probably the Reading Festival in 1980. We were in decline as a band but Ozzy Osbourne had pulled out and we were persuaded to take his place. We went on stage as the sun was setting on a beautiful afternoon and the crowd loved us. I remember them singing along to Merry Christmas Everybody – in August!

It was the days before mobile phones and I couldn’t wait to get back home to tell my wife. That weekend changed everything.

What’s the recipe for a perfect night in?

Watching an old film on the telly. Growing up on the Warstones estate in Penn we used to close the curtains on a Sunday afternoon and crowd round our little black and white telly to watch Hollywood’s finest. I still love films from that era.

Favourite DVD? And what would you eat while watching it?

Brief Encounter – I’ve seen it loads of times and I still cry at the end when Celia Johnson goes back to her husband and he says ‘Thank you for coming back to me’.” It’s so decent, so British.

Sunday lunch – home-cooked or down the pub?

Home-cooked. I’m partial to roast lamb and mint sauce followed by apple pie and custard, although it’s not great for the waistline at my age.

Where and how do you like to relax?

Reading poetry. I’m a big fan of Wordsworth, I love the Lucy poems.