THEIR first single hit the top 20 to rave reviews, they performed on Top of the Pops and overnight a group of Southend lads became stars.

Topping “ones to watch” lists in the late Seventies, alongside the Jam and the Boomtown Rats, their story had all the hallmarks of a Hollywood film.

But then it all went wrong for Seventies pop sensation Tonight.

Their third single failed to chart as high as their first two and their hotly-anticipated album was shelved.

They were dropped by their record label and it looked like the end of the road for the Southend group as they came back down to earth, hard.

But 29 years later, a chance reunion led to them deciding to reform. Now the group have finally released the album Drummer Man, 32 years after it was originally due to hit the shelves.

“It’s very exciting,” says bass player Russ Strothard, who still lives in Southend. “For us it’s a dream come true really. It’s been a regret, a big regret and the regret’s not there any more.”

The band were signed up with a major record deal within months of originally forming.

“It was unbelievable,” says Russ. “I was 19, the youngest, we formed in the summer of 1977 and started to do gigs in Southend – our first gig was in the Alex.

“We started to do really well, we secured a manager and he managed to get us into London.

“We started to get a bit of a crowd and by December we had a record deal, so it was quick, it was really quick.”

Before they knew it, the band were playing to a packed Top of the Pops crowd with the likes of Dusty Springfield and Terry Wogan.

Russ says: “Terry Wogan had just released a novelty song with a brass band, so he was there.

“Dusty Springfield was amazing, she sang live and was just fantastic. That was quite amazing.”

Another band on the bill on one of their three Top of the Pops dates, was fellow Southend hot shots Eddie and the Hot Rods. In a twist of fate, Tonight will be supporting them this month when they launch their comeback.

“They were heroes of ours anyway,” says Russ. “At that time they were a local band who’d already got their record deal in 1976. We got ours a bit later, so they were already up and going.

“They were one of our influences as well, so it was good to have two Southend bands on Top of the Pops.”

Russ had just finished training as an electrician, but in a matter of months he’d left his old life behind and the world seemed his oyster.

“To pack that in to be a full-time musician was just unbelievable,” he says. “The feeling was like euphoria really, one of the highest senses I had.”

But the dream didn’t last, and in 1979, after failing to make the top 20 with their third single, Tonight found themselves heading home, leaving their brief spell of stardom behind.

It looked like the end for the pop band, but in 2007 the lads met again at Russ’s wedding and decided to resurrect the shelved album.

They searched for a label who would take on the project, and found one in Angel Air Records. They put the album out in September.

“All these years it’s been this niggling point,” says Russ. “Because people would ask ‘what happened?’ and you’d say ‘the album never got put out’.

“It makes you a bit down and you don’t want to talk about it – it’s unfinished business really.

“We know it’s a good album, there are very good pop songs on there, so it’s very exciting.”

Now the band are gearing up for their live comeback, playing Riga on December 18.

Russ says: “It’s a bit scary and exciting at the same time. We’ve had about three rehearsals and it’s about getting up to speed again, the songs are so fast!

“It’s going to be quite nostalgic, Barry from Eddie and the Hot Rods are looking forward to it. He remembers the band, so that’s good. I think it’s going to be a great night.”

Drummer Boy is available on iTunes, or visit www.tonightthe band.com for more information.

Tonight are supporting Eddie and the Hot Rods at Riga, London Road, Westcliff, on December 18 at 8.30pm. Tickets £10 on the dorr or £8 in advance. They are available by calling 08444 771000, by visiting www.ticketweb.co.uk or from Five Records, the Broadway, Leigh, or the Cricketers Inn, London Road, Westcliff.