A FORMER Deep Purple frontman is hitting the road to perform the band’s greatest hits as part of a special UK tour.

Glenn Hughes, who played bass and lent vocals to the group from 1973 to 1976, will perform at the Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion on Saturday, November 16.

The show will be a chance for fans of classic Deep Purple to turn back the clock and relive some of the group’s greatest hits.

Glenn will play ten dates across the UK and he said: “A few years back, I cut a barnstorming version of Highway Star for the Machine Head anniversary tribute album with my good friends Steve Vai and Chad Smith.

“I’m not playing anything on the forthcoming tour that I didn’t either play live or record in the studio with Purple.

“I can still sing the songs, in some ways even better than I did in the Seventies.

“I can still perform them with the same energy that was on the stage back then, too.

“ I feel that the time is right.

“It’s fun to get back into character of my days with Purple. I’m looking back at my life and I want to remember the good stuff.

“I’m incredibly excited to perform these songs, as they helped define the genre. I can assure you, the new show is going to blow your mind.”

Deep Purple was formed in 1968 by Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Nick Simper and Ian Paice.

But it was the Glenn Hughes era, in which he shared vocal duties with Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale, that is rated one of the group’s best periods.

Prior to both Hughes and Coverdale joining the group had just released the now famous Smoke on the Water which brought them into the mainstream.

The pair were brought in to replace then frontman Ian Gillan and songs like Burn and Child In Time proved that the duo were more than up for stepping up to the challenge that had been presented to them.

Both Hughes and Coverdale would leave the band in 1976 and, while previous members have returned since, the pair have not performed with the band again.

But the Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live tour will see the singer perform ten dates across the country and play songs from the band’s entire back catalogue.

Since leaving Deep Purple Hughes has had a successful solo career and has even recorded with the likes of Gary Moore and Black Sabbath.

More recently he formed rock band Black Country Communion in 2009 with Jason Bonham, son of legendary Led Zepplin drummer John Bonham. Joe Bonamassa and Derek Sherinian.

Tickets for the show cost £27.50.