Your main point of reference for Mike d'Abo is largely dictated by how old you are.Those of a certain age' should know him as the man who replaced Paul Jones as the singer in 60s favourites Manfred Mann. Motown fans and students, think Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations - Mike wrote that.

Tucked in the middle are you in your 30s/40s; remember "a finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat"? D'Abo again. The most ubiquitous and enduring of his works, however, has been Handbags and Gladrags. Written in 1967 by Mike, it was recorded by Chris Farlowe and made famous in 1970 by a then-unknown Rod Stewart, kicked around for a few decades before being picked up by Ricky Gervais in 2000 and rendered perfectly as The Office's melancholic theme tune. The Stereophonics then shamelessly piggy backed its success by re-recording but we won't dwell on that.

And Handbags is likely to appear in Mike's set when he plays the Halfmoon in Putney on Friday with his Mighty Quintet.

Reflecting on the song's journey, 63-year-old Mike says: "I was proud of having written it, I presented it to the Manfred's but I don't think they quite appreciated my material.

"When Gervais chose it for The Office I wrote to him asking why, I thought it was an appropriate choice because David Brent was full of shit, putting all his values in the wrong places.

"Gervais left me a message saying he thought it was the saddest song he had ever heard, and Brent was such a sad character - and that was his reason."

Other than Handbags and classic Manfred originals, Mike promises some Kinks, Beatles, Stones, James Brown, Van the man and Bob Dylan tracks the Mighty Quinn (which provides the band's name) and Just Like A Woman - songs that the group made their own.

And he won't be omitting Buttercup, a #1 hit in the US, a #2 hit here, and one which Mike says has been adopted by a new generation as a party tune, ever since it re-appeared in the Farrelly brothers' hit film, There's Something About Mary.

D'abo still tours with an incarnation of Manfred and also performs in Reelin' and a Rockin', a 60s nostalgia show including Dave Dee, Wayne Fontana ( "when he's not in jail," says Mike) and Mike Pender (an original Searcher).

Enough to tire out a performer half his age. But if you think Mike is looking a little bleary-eyed, then it won't be his work schedule, he has six-month-old twins with his wife, Lisa.

"It is a blessing, a miracle and it has given me a new lease of life," he beams, "Louis certainly loves music. When I sing he smiles, it cures his blues and he just forgets what his gripe was about.

"As for Ella, if she goes into the music business, she will have one of the loudest voices - she has a set of lungs on her you wouldn't believe!"

Only one way to keep her quiet, Mike, pop a fudge bar in her mouth.

Mike d'Abo's Mighty Quintet; Halfmoon pub, 93 Lower Richmond Rd, Putney, SW15 1EU; Friday, February 8, 8pm, £12, call 020 8780 9383 or visit halfmoon.co.uk.