We've been waiting since Breakfast ...

Supertramp

`It's About Time' World Tour

Royal Albert Hall (tonight, 19-21 Sept), Newcastle Arena (23), Glasgow SECC (24), Sheffield Arena (26), Manchester NYNEX (27)

are the kind of band that most people will have in their home. As part of the furniture. Their albums will linger, collecting dust and scratches, but never be chucked out. Why? Because are here to remind you that some things can stay put: "We've had entire pop movements come and go between our albums, and we haven't even noticed," says singer Rick Davies.

Their musical history spans three decades, eight albums and has notched up 50 million worldwide sales.

embark on the British leg of their world tour today after a nine year hiatus. It follows their "comeback" album, (critics will smirk) named, "Some Things Never Change". It reached the top 10 in much of Europe. Although they have lost founder member Roger Hodgson and their popularity has dropped slightly in Britain, they are still huge. Sax player John Helliwell says: "We've weathered out the Heath and Thatcher years, then Major ... now we just do our own thing, irrespective of who's in power." standing against Parliament - why not?

"We don't have to go out, financially, because we've sold a lot of albums ... but what am I going to be doing? I'm not painting a masterpiece," says Davies.

Expect a high quality production, with expensive session musicians from LA and Mark Hart, ex-Crowded House. Although their music is hard to fit into a genre, they have always attained new limits, from the R&B leanings of "Brother Where You Bound" (1985) to the progressive rock of the platinum- selling "Breakfast in America", named by Alan Freeman as the album of 1979. With Fluff's stamp of approval, now they just need the stamping of your feet.