At the end of a wet, wet, wet week, Wet Wet Wet play York Barbican on Sunday with a new singer up front, Kevin Simm.

The former Liberty X member (2001 to 2007) and 2016 winner of The Voice talent show lines up with staples Graeme Clark on bass, Tommy Cunningham on drums and Neil Mitchell on keyboards and piano.

Simm joined the Wets last September after lead vocalist and founding member Marti Pellow left in 2017 to focus on his solo career and musicals.

He has always been a fan of the Scottish band. “When I first started singing in pubs and clubs in Lancashire I used to sing Love Is All Around and Goodnight Girl," he says. “I was a big fan, lthough not a die-hard. It has been a nice surprise to be learning songs that I had not heard before."

Simm adds: "When I went to meet the band and try out with them, we hit it off straightaway. It was a fun, comfortable experience. We really gelled and that has got stronger over the past months.”

He recalls two gigs before Christmas, in Glasgow and London. “I was really nervous, I knew I was under the microscope and had 20 songs to learn,” he says. “I am a bit of a perfectionist and wanted it to be right, and it could not have gone better."

Band cohort Graeme Clark says: "We all bonded well from the start and once Kevin began singing, we knew we could move things forward in a meaningful way. We now have a road to go down.

"There's nothing more exciting than taking our songs and dusting them down and performing.”

Wet Wet Wet's 18-date tour show reflects the presence of a new addition to the ranks. "We're looking at some of the arrangements and songs and giving them a fresh approach," says Clark. "Having a new band member adds to the dynamic and excitement.”

New songs will be next on the agenda. "I feel new music is the lifeblood of the band and enables us to keep going. It will invigorate both us and Kevin and keep the creative juices flowing," says Clark.

“Kevin brings with him such a creative talent, it would be a crime not to try and write new material.”

Wet Wet Wet play York Barbican on May 12, 7.30pm. Box office: 0844 854 2757, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the Barbican box office.