"I LOVE Pride because it expresses equality. The music brings people together. We will always support something which is against discrimination.”

So says Blue’s Simon Webbe as the four-piece prepare to take to the Pride main stage tomorrow.

Since they got back together in 2011 after a seven-year hiatus – interrupted solely by a one-off 2009 Summertime Ball show for long-time supporters Capital FM – Blue has represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest, and put the cat among the pigeons as surprise guests on ITV’s The Big Reunion.

They have also released a fourth studio album, Roulette, and are working on a follow-up, which Webbe says will showcase a new direction.

“Roulette was a little left of centre, especially as it was two years old by the time it was released,” he says of the band’s 2013 pop/R&B comeback album.

“It wasn’t the right time for that kind of album.

“On our new album the sound has evolved – we’ve got so much more to write about now.”

Whether that includes band mate Lee Ryan’s recent run-in with the law and battle with drink and drugs after his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother can only be guessed at, as the topic is strictly off-limits in the interview.

But Webbe is happy to admit Ryan was integral in getting him out of his Manchester neighbourhood after meeting at an audition and helping him pursue his dream as part of Blue, alongside Duncan James and Antony Costa in 2000.

“We used to move the furniture and pretend the mirror was Wembley Stadium,” remembers Webbe of the time they shared a flat. “Every time we perform now on stage we always say ‘mirror’ to each other.”

Webbe believes appearing on Eurovision in 2011 with the James/ Ryan co-write I Can was important in getting them back on track.

“Boy bands have a stigma that they look good, but can’t sing,” he says. “We had to do everything totally live, so we had a chance to showcase ourselves to 125 million people. We now visit countries in the Eastern bloc who had never seen us before.”

Blue’s appearance on The Big Reunion was as a last-minute addition to the touring bill while recently reunited bands including B*Witched, Atomic Kitten and Five still tried to bury the hatchet in rehearsals.

“We were told it would be good to come in and make the others step up their game,” says Webbe, who describes joining the show as a favour for the same production team who made CD:UK and SMTV.

“The way were were introduced was like pantomime villains. We played along with it though – it’s all for television.”

The quartet are part of The Big Reunion Boy Bands tour in October – alongside Five, 911, A1, 3T, Damage and supergroup 5th Story – which is at the Brighton Centre on Thursday, October 23.

“The difference between Blue and some of the other bands is that often the members wanted solo careers before,” says Webbe.

“When you’ve got that thought in the back of your head you can’t be tight. Most bands [on The Big Reunion] had fights, which was strange for us. We could see how lucky we were.

“We are all fathers, we have all grown up and learned a lot from being in this industry together for 15 years. We are mates – I wouldn’t want to share the stage with anybody else.”