Michael Taylor, who presents Music Therapy with Neil Summers on Tameside Radio on Sunday evenings, shines the spotlight on singer-songwriter Paul Heaton in his latest Tameside Reporter column.

Back in 1986 when we moved into our first student house in Manchester, the Housemartins were playing a gig around the corner on Plymouth Grove at the long-since closed down International 2, a terrific live music venue, tucked between Longsight and Victoria Park.

I went for a nosey down there and the band was kicking a football about in the car park after the sound check.

Word at the time was they used to save money on flashy hotels by dossing down with fans, mostly students, and sitting up and chatting after the concert.

I joined in the conversation and they were remarkably down to earth, there was no chance you’d even think about asking for an autograph. Central to all the chat and laughs was lead singer Paul Heaton.

The Housemartins had a big impact in their few short years together. Hits like Happy Hour and Think for a Minute combined harmonies and a bouncy pop sound.

There was a sound political edge to the music, especially the railing against sexism in their biggest hit, Happy Hour, but also embracing old-style protest songs like Caravan of Love and Lean on Me.

His next band, The Beautiful South, achieved incredible success and he was determined to apply his socialist principles to the distribution of song-writing royalties.

He’s a big Sheffield United fan and didn’t hesitate to write a foreword in the ‘kick and tell’ memoir Blades Business Crew by one of his old hooligan mates Steve Cowans.

GENUINE AUTHENTICITY: Paul Heaton’s forthcoming album NK Pop.

I can’t imagine he was an all-out terrace psycho, but as he pointed out if it wasn’t for working-class lads in some of the ‘firms’ there would have been no one left on the terraces. You can argue that point, but what is important here is his commitment to where he came from, and a refusal to hush it up or lie about it.

Without betraying my sources, some friends of mine live around the corner from him in Manchester and know him as their normal neighbour Paul, who never lauds it or comes over as the big ‘I am’.

He’s one of those people in public life who genuinely don’t seem to care what other people think of him, he just wants to do the decent thing.

On his 60th birthday in May he put money behind the bar in 60 different pubs.

“The hope is to bring people together on the day whilst recognising that many folk, who bought my records or showed me support over the years, could do with a wee party as we come out of Covid and hit potential financial struggles.”

When Q magazine closed his manager called the editor and said Paul wants to give you £30,000 to make sure everyone who’s lost their job gets a bit of support to tide them over.

The editor Ted Kessler tried to resist but was told it was non-negotiable. Heaton also frustrates his accountant because he tries to pay more tax, not less.

But there’s a real authenticity and generosity to his music too. No subject is taboo - alcoholism, domestic violence, unrequited love. And the new single from his and Jacqui Abbott’s forthcoming album NK Pop is called Still, and it’s absolutely beautiful, deals with the loss of a child, and is in partnership with the charity Sands.

National treasure status is often conferred easily on celebrities with their few minutes of fame, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no-one more deserving of it than Paul Heaton.

You can listen to Michael Taylor and Neil Summers on Music Therapy on Tameside Radio 103.6FM on Sunday evenings from 9pm to 11pm. Click here to subscribe and catch up on previous shows.

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