IT'S hard to imagine a financial advisor having a life outside of the office, let alone one in the music industry.

But beneath Mike Oliver’s well-tailored two-piece suit beats a heart lost to rock’n’roll.

For four years in the late 1980s, Mike Oliver, from Haywards Heath, lived the dream with his band One Two XL, touring his native North East and persuading radio stations to play their studio recorded demo tape.

There was even a European tour.

Mike recalls: "It was pop rock - big hair, chinos, white shirts and braces."

But after failing to make the big time, he decided to enter the world of business.

Now celebrating a milestone 15 years as the head of Mike Oliver Associates, he doesn’t regret swapping the music charts for tracking investment performance rates instead – but he hasn’t quite left his rock’n’roll days behind.

Up until recently, the singing IFA was lead vocals for The Smokin Joe Band, based in Crawley, a group he’d originally formed in 2010.

Playing powerhouse blues, Smokin Joe were heavily influenced by Joe Bonamassa and blues guitarist Gary Moore.

But now Mike’s planning on re-forming One Two XL.

He said: "It squares the circle. Eighties music is where I feel most comfortable… Spandau Ballet, ABC, Duran Duran, Johnny Hates Jazz."

One Two XL’s revival is timely. It rides a ‘new wave’ of nostalgia for pop rock – ABC reformed and released a successful album only this year – and the band’s upcoming live performances will be the first time its original material has been heard since Mike walked away from the industry nearly 30 years ago.

He went on to climb a stairway, if not to heaven, then at least to career success in the financial industry throughout the 1990s, eventually managing 22 offices as regional sales director for Mortgages Direct.

But he made a contract with himself that he would create and run his own consultancy by the time he was 40.

He hit his target just nine days shy of his 41st birthday, opening an office in Haywards Heath.

This year he received a Community Service Award from Haywards Heath Town Council for raising thousands of pounds for local charities.

It crowned a significant year, marked by the firm’s anniversary and the acquisition of mortgage advisory service Chase Mortgages.

He said: "As I’ve gone through life, my own goals have changed – from musician to employee to running my own business. I think those experiences help me identify better with the changes in my clients’ lives, too."