'I bought my first record in Shrewsbury' - Bryan Adams on loving the West Midlands as he promises 'night to remember'

The Canadian singer-songwriter will be performing at bp pulse LIVE at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre this Sunday (May 18) as part of the tour promoting his forthcoming latest studio album.

Speaking ahead of the show, the star told how it's always great to be back in the UK - a place he knows well and he's particularly looking forward to his forthcoming gig in the Midlands.

Born to parents from England, he recalled fun times in his younger days of visiting nearby Shropshire to stay with family friends.

"One of my father's great friends had a place in Shrewsbury and we used to spend Christmas's there - and it was one of the first places I ever bought a record.

"I think I bought Old Brown Shoe - a George Harrison song," he told the Star.

On the subject of favourite songs, when asked which of his own iconic tracks he likes performing the most, he said: "I like them all. I get quite excited when I look down at my set list every night and think 'ah this one's next - great'. There's also something about the synergy of all of them together, especially when you add something new, like Roll With The Punches, the dynamics of that changes everything."

Adams, whose most well-known hits include Summer of 69 and Run To You, told how he was inspired by some of the legendary rock bands of the 1970s including Led Zeppelin, T-Rex and Deep Purple to name a few but he's equally excited by "the youth of today and their ability to write their truth".

He said: "I really love some of the music that's happening now. It's inspiring to think that things continue to evolve, the songwriters continue to challenge us with their thoughts and they're bringing things to the forefront - whether it be about emotions or politics, it's interesting to see that music still has the ability to make you think."

Making music and relentless performing are also key to keeping him 'forever young' - the 65-year-old 18 Till I Die singer and guitarist revealed as he vowed never to retire.

"It keeps me laughing, that's everything isn't it?" he said as he regaled how the band had worn kilts for their previous night's gig in Aberdeen and joked about which of them had pants on underneath - adding: "It kept us laughing the whole night long!"

The star, whose classic 1991 track (Everything I Do) I Do It for You holds the record for the longest consecutive run of 16 weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart, has a few more dates remaining on his 12-date tour of the UK and Ireland which he said has been "really good" so far.

He added: "It's nice to be here. It could be one of our best UK tours ever. I kinda wish there were more dates. I'm really looking forward to being in Birmingham." 

Adams, who spent a lot of time in Europe growing up, told how he has the same affection for Britain as he does for his native Canada, given his family links and early days playing at universities and polytechnics here as he told how he was shocked at first to hear crowds singing back at him when he was starting out.

He said: "There's a kind of sound that happens in England that doesn't happen anywhere else and it's because of football. I remember hearing that in the venues and thinking - what's going on?"

Fast forward to today and his upbeat, unforgettable Summer of 69 track is probably one of the most sung back rock concert songs ever.

A few tickets remain available from https://www.bryanadams.com/tours/ for Sunday's Birmingham show - the star's final date on the UK mainland - which will see him performing his latest single Make Up Your Mind, released on his own Bad Records label, which is already sounding like a classic.

After that he'll be heading off on a 35-show summer tour of Europe, followed by a large American and Canadian tour that will keep him "super busy" this year and take him up Christmas.