South London blues band Nine Below Zero boast a cult following in Europe and a history stretching back 40 years. What’s On caught up with founder member Dennis Greaves ahead of their early-February performance at Shrewsbury’s Henry Tudor House.

You’re returning to Henry Tudor House with Mark Feltham next month, following a sell-out show there in 2015. What can your audience expect from this headline show?
Mark and I have been doing the duo now for a couple of years. It will be an intimate evening where we play songs that have influenced our career. We also chat about the great musicians we’ve had the luck to play with.

You’ll be playing some unplugged versions of well-known Nine Below Zero material...
Its quite nice stripping those songs back to their creation. You tend to find new things in them that you never knew existed.

Your father bought you your first guitar. Did you come from a musical family?
Yes, he was a big inspiration to me. He sang but didn’t play an instrument. It was my grandad who played almost anything he put his hand to. The Boston Arms in Tufnell Park is where me, my father and grandad have all sang and performed.

Nine Below Zero were originally formed in South London. How big an impact did that have on your musical style and early career? 
Well, it was a place where you either boxed, played football, were a musician or became a thief, to get out of the gutter. I went to Walworth School in the Old Kent Road. The school backed onto the famous Thomas A Becket pub, where loads of bands would play. After school one night, I went to see Beryl the owner and asked for a gig. She gave me a Monday night residency. This is where we were spotted. South London made you a fighter in many ways.

Following the release of your second album in 1981, there was a period when Nine Below Zero were on TV almost weekly. How was that experience?
You get used to it. TV programmes at the time loved NBZ because they knew we would deliver and not be trouble with egos etc. Going to the TV studios was amazing. We still bump into cameramen now who talk fondly of us.

You recently supported Squeeze on tour...
Well, they come from Deptford and we came from the Old Kent Road. We both used to play the same gigs in South London. We also were both signed by Derek Green to A&M Records. We have so much in common, so the tour was a pleasure and their fans loved us. Mark and I got up and played a few songs with them, and we’re on the last two Squeeze albums.

R&B has remained popular for more than 70 years. Why is this?
If I knew, I’d be a millionaire. All I know is that if you play a Robbie Williams track from 10 years ago, it sounds dated. Play Smoke Stack Lightning by Howlin Wolf and it sounds so fresh. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s real musicians playing a groove with no click track? It just still feels so great.

Nine Below Zero have been going for four decades now. Did you ever imagine that would be the case when you first started out?
No, you just do it thinking it won’t last long, so enjoy it while it lasts. But then it becomes a lifestyle and career, you perfect your craft and every day is a new challenge. In Keith Richards' book, he mentions this very subject and almost says the same thing.

As mentioned previously, you’re playing next month’s acoustic show alongside fellow founding member Mark Feltham, yet Nine Below Zero now boast eight members and perform as a big band. Do you have a preference?
I love them all. We have duo, eight-piece and a five-piece where Chris Rand plays keys and sax. The reason we do this is so we stay fresh and don’t become a cover band of ourselves, playing the same old stuff. I think it’s important to keep moving when you’ve been around as long as us.

You’re well known for your stylish attire. Who are your favourite designers?
I’m getting a lot of stuff from second-hand shops as well as a bespoke company called Art Gallery. My wife used to work at Gucci when Tom Ford was designing, which was handy. I get my scarves from Tootal. I like things in second-hand shops because normally they will be a one-off.

And your favourite outfit from over the years?
My wedding suit, made by Max Cohen, which was in the Aldgate, East End. He used to fit the Krays, and he still had his old patterns from the ’60s buried away in the back of the shop.

What’s your favourite hobby outside of music?
I really don’t have any - maybe clothes and my Edwardian house. Both my sons are drummers and we jam together locally. My hobby is music, I suppose.

Are there any up-and-coming bands or artists you’d like to champion?
I’ve championed The Strypes and love what they’re doing.

What does the future hold for Dennis Greaves and Nine Below Zero?
Wow! I suppose just to keep on going. I really love what I do, so just to keep playing and touring and keeping fit.

Nine Below Zero perform at Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury, on Sunday 4 February.

Interview by Lauren Foster