THE year was 1985 and the sun was bouncing off the tower blocks of Birmingham, writes Steve Zacharanda.

I was in my dad's Capri Ghia and ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man came on the Alpine stereo.

I was nine-years-old and never heard anything like it before, I've been a fan of The Little Old Band From Texas ever since.

So needless to say I'm happier than a 1980s rock fan who just inherited a hairspray company that ZZ Top are coming to Birmingham.

The bearded ones are playing the 02 Academy on June 23.

Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and beardless Frank Beard have been the mainstays of the band, Gibbons, is without doubt a rock god - but don't take my word for it, Jimi Hendrix gave him a pink Stratocaster in recognition of his shredding talent.

The Texans started producing their own brand of blues and rock in 1969 in Houston and went on to have critical success in the 1970s including hits like Jesus Just Left Chicago in 1973.

However, they hit worldwide stardom in the 1980s when they controversially added synthesisers to their sound, as well as hot cars and hotter women to their videos which MTV loved.

1983 album Eliminator spawned the hits Legs, Gimme All Your Loving and Sharp Dressed Man and went on to sell 25 millions records, half of the 50m the band has sold worldwide.

They started the 1990s starring in Back To The Future 3 and then did away with synthesisers in 1991, continuing selling millions of records.

In 1997 they performed an ear-splitting Superbowl half time show which would have blown Coldplay into orbit.

In 2004, ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards.

However, not ones to grow old gracefully or cash in on the nostalgia circuit ZZ Top suddenly became relevant again in 2012 with the album La Futura.

The single I Gotsta Get Paid was made for dive bars across the world and was all the more remarkable because the lyrics were from a hip hop band which shared ZZ Top's studio and were about crack cocaine dealing.

Last year Billy Gibbons released a Cuban-inspired album Perfectamundo to critical acclaim which included the stand out single Treat Her Right.

However, the boys are back in the saddle together and are making new music again.

With a feature length rock documentary in the making and a world tour on the verge of selling out 2016 would be a good time to see ZZ Top.

And to see the stadium fillers up close and personal at a venue like the Academy, it promises to be one of the gigs of the year.