But the British public still flock to see the karaoke favourites – partly kept in the public consciousness by comic Hugh Dennis’s regular Jimmy Savilesque quips on the BBC’s Mock The Week – and they kick off their Evening of Rock’n’Roll UK tour at Langholm’s Buccleuch Centre on Saturday.

Getting some pre-tour R&R in his favourite holiday destination, Portugal, Dave told TheSouthern: “We played some dates last year where we performed some different songs in the first half and then allowed the audience to ask us questions. The second half was made up of the crowd favourites and the format worked so well we had theatres begging us to come back.

“This year we’ll play some of our favourite songs and the second half of the show will be made up from songs that the fans have chosen through our website. It’ll be one non-stop party.”

Showaddywaddy – who take their name from doo-wop backing sound used on many 1950s blues tracks – formed in 1973 and went on to claim 10 top-10 singles, including their only number one, Under the Moon of Love, in 1976.

With their teddy boy look, the band’s fanbase at their peak consisted mostly of screaming girls.

Many remain fans – including Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who recently admitted having a crush on Dave when a young girl – and can still embarrass the group during the question-and-answer section of their gigs.

Dave said: “It’s hilarious – a lot of the questions they ask are on the personal side but we make a joke of it.

“The audiences we now get are a real mix but predominantly it is women in their late 30s and 40s who used to throw their knickers as us. We don’t get that now which is maybe a good thing as it would be bloomers rather than knickers being thrown.”

Apart from Hugh Dennis and Amanda Holden, Dave likes an alternative theory as to why Showaddywaddy continue to attract audiences, with 24 dates scheduled for their tour.

“A newspaper pointed out recently that during the time we were flying high in the late 1970s Jim Callaghan was PM and Britain was in recession,” he said.

“The article said that bearing in mind the current economic conditions, we must be a recession-friendly band, meaning we can make people feel good and have a good time at our shows even when they are strapped for cash.”

Having survived recessions and flying knickers during 37 years on the stage, it is no surprise Dave and his band-mates have also noticed changes to the music industry, some welcome and some not so.

“During the 1980s music became a business and record labels were taken over by lawyers,” said Dave. “Consequently, creativity was taken away from artists. I don’t think you need the perfection which is demanded in records these days.