The former Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman writes and sings about booze and the establishments that sell it a lot, and he's also talked about the darker side of drink and his battles with alcoholism in the past.

Today is different, though, as he's drinking water.

"I'm doing a radio show later – I don't want to go in stinking of beer do I?" he says, smiling.

You'd be hard-pushed to find a better drinking buddy than Heaton. He has a wickedly dry sense of humour, as demonstrated over the years in his songwriting – just try finding an article or review written about him that doesn't contain the words sardonic or laconic – and he quite happily tells anecdotes about places he's visited, chats about music and is wonderfully opinionated.

He put these characteristics to great use when penning some of the most original pop songs of the last 20 years.

The Beautiful South's Song For Whoever, with its opening line of, 'I love you from the bottom of my pencil case,' perfectly summed up teenage crushes, while A Little Time astutely examined both the male and female perspectives of a relationship, but always in the most typically British way – self-effacing, understated and with a wry smile.

During their eight years together, the band released 10 albums and sold more than 15 million records around the world.

Carry On Up The Charts, the singles collection released in 1994, briefly became the fastest-selling album in chart history. Not bad for a band who dubbed themselves "everyone's second-favourite band".

Out of the blue in 2007 came the announcement The Beautiful South were to go their separate ways, and in their inimitable style, they blamed it on "musical similarities", poking fun at that oft-used excuse for a split, musical differences.

For Paul, splitting up the group he formed from the ashes of previous band The Housemartins was a natural move.

"There were a series of events over the years that helped me arrive at the decision to leave," he says.

"I'd done a solo album already (2001's Fat Chance, under the moniker Biscuit Boy aka Crackerman) and (the band's guitarist) Dave Rotheray had done three solo albums with his Homespun project. That was a factor.

"Me leaving Hull in 2001-2002 was also part of it," he continues, referencing his move from East Yorkshire – the place he'd called home since moving there in the early 80s – over to Manchester.

"Being in Manchester meant I was less part of The Beautiful South, and I've got two daughters now, so that's changed my priorities. I want to spend time with the kids."

Paul, now 46 but looking as fighting fit as he did in his twenties, thanks to a new-found love of the gym, is on the cusp of releasing The Cross Eyed Rambler, his second solo album and the first to bear his name. It's in shops from July 7, and lead single Mermaids And Slaves is currently a Radio Two favourite.