NEXT weekend the Macron Stadium will come alive for two days of live music.

In the line-up of Bolton Live, which includes chart toppers Scouting for Girls and Reverend and the Makers, is one band reviving the heyday of British mod punk rock.

Used to playing to audiences of 40,000, From The Jam will be headlining the the first night of the inaugural event at the Premier Suite on Saturday.

With a playlist which includes Going Underground, Town Called Malice and The Modern World, the band is headed up by The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, vocalist and guitarist Russell Hastings and drummer Mike Randon.

Russell, who has been working with Foxton since 2007, said the band was looking forward to their first Bolton gig, which is forming part of their The Public Gets What The Public Wants Tour.

He said: "The whole live music scene, from when we came out in 2007, seems to have grown in the last two to three years. I'm definitely not complaining about that and we have been doing a lot of festivals and have plans for more, playing to crowds of 40,000.

"We play a lot around the north. We've played Clitheroe for a number of years and always sold out.

"There's a big, wide spectrum of people who come to the show; people whose parents listened to The Jam's music, or listened when the band first came out. That's why it works so well, it appeals to lots of different people and is engrained into so many peoples lives.

"Music plays a big part of people's lives, without it it would be a very dull world.

"Saturday's gig will be exciting, full of energy. We keep working on the songs so they feel fresh, but delivered with the same energy as we have done the last 10 years."

The Jam exploded onto the punk scene in 1977, with Bruce, drummer Rick Buckler and frontman Paul Weller creating a legacy which includes 18 UK Top 40 singles and is one of the greatest and biggest selling bands in British history.

Twenty-five years on from the band's split in 1982, Bruce joined Rick and Russell, the only frontman to work with both of them since Paul Weller, in The Gift which later formed into From The Jam.

More recently Bruce released his third solo album Smash The Clock, co-written with Russell and featuring guest appearances from Paul Weller, Wilko Johnson and Paul Jones.

Released in May, its reception was "beyond expectation", reaching the top five in the Independent Album Chart.

The gig on Saturday will see a mix of Bruce's solo songs as well as The Jam's greatest hits.

Russell added: "It would be pretty miraculous for the band to stay together over the years, members come and go, that's the way it is with bands.

"I'm extremely proud of the longevity of the band — it's been around the last 12 years doing what it's doing now.

"We did what most people thought was impossible. I'm not trying to be Paul, I'm me, but as we are from the same area I guess the accent helps when singing the songs!"

From the Jam will be joined by mod legends Secret Affair, Bolton’s The Jade Assembly, The Transmitters and DJ duo The Vinyl Countdown on Saturday, with Scouting For Girls, singer Ellie Dibben, Bolton's Alex James and the Sound, Reverend and the Makers, The Brew and France taking to the stage on Sunday.

Tickets are on sale at www.boltonlive.uk.