Preston remembers Japan success

Preston has said that he and his former Ordinary Boys bandmates were amazed by the reception they received from fans when they toured Japan.

Writing on his blog, the singer said that he found it difficult to recall precise memories of the visits the group made to the country between 2004 and 2007.

Preston said: "I would wander from interview to sold-out gig in a jet-lagged Valium haze struggling to accept that all this good fortune could be smiling in the direction of me and my funny little band. Nothing had happened for us in England.

"We were still (very much enjoying) touring the conveyor-belt of s**t-hole venues with sweaty walls with the house lights up but, somehow, our album had managed to sneak its way to the top of the Japanese charts.

"A cliché of Spinal Tap proportions! Of course the cliché is that it only happens to the very worst bands but that is not for me to comment on and when the call came through I really didn't care."

He added: "All four of us were winded by what greeted us in the hotel lobby. Fans. Real, live, fans. Trying hard to appear as though this sort of thing happened all the time I revelled in signing everything they presented.

"They gave us gifts and sweets and adorable letters and asked about my lyrics and our clothes. I began to understand why Britney Spears would place such emphasis on letting her fans knew she loved them at every opportunity. For me it was love at first sight."