ROCK journalist John Robb will interview Paul Simpson, who formed new wave band The Wild Swans in Liverpool in 1980, in Barrow.

Simpson, who said that he shared a flat with Courtney Love at one stage, was briefly part of the band The Teardrop Explodes with Julian Cope but left after the release of their first single. He then formed Wild Swans, which never achieved the far-reaching mainstream success that his contemporaries in bands such as Echo & The Bunnymen received, but nonetheless influenced Liverpool's music scene in the 80s and had a legacy that reached into later indie-rock. 

He was also in the band Care with Ian Broudie. 

Wild Swans went through two hiatuses and line-up changes in the 1980s, and last performed live in 2011 with their most recent album being that year's The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years. 

Since then, Simpson has become a writer. 

John Robb was the singer and bassist for post-punk band The Membranes and is now editor of the music culture website Louder than War. 

Robb and Simpson will be visiting The Forum on May 10. Tickets are £12.50 + booking fee.