He was born in Belfast and now lives in LA, but Ricky Warwick wouldn’t be playing with his idols without a spell in Scotland.

The Black Star Riders singer spent his teenage years living in Strathaven, and it was there that he formed rock band the Almighty, kick-starting a musical career that has led him to team-up with former members of Thin Lizzy.

His move to Scotland in the 1980s was not the smoothest start, though.

“It was tough at first,” he says.

“I was leaving Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles, and I had no idea how big religion was in Scotland at that time. I remember the first day I started school, and one of the first things I was being asked was whether I was Protestant or Catholic. I was like, ‘I’ve come here from Belfast to get away from all that.’

“I was disappointed in that but that was more my naivety than anything else. But I adapted really quickly, and I made a lot of friends in Strathaven. It’s a great town and the fact my mum and my sisters are still there says a lot for the place.”

The Almighty enjoyed some serious success during their career, and he’s coming full circle with Black Star Riders, who play two nights at the O2 ABC on Wednesday and Thursday. As the Almighty were starting out, they shared a stage with another emerging Scottish band, Gun.

And it’s Gun that Black Star Riders will be touring with on this jaunt.

“We go back a long way with them and they are a fantastic band and fantastic people,” says Ricky.

“I think it’s almost 30 years we’ve know them because the first tour the Almighty ever did was with Gun, and that was back in 1989. It was a good time in Glasgow back then. We very much had a foot in both camps, because we were into our indie and punk as much as our rock and metal.

“So our first gig was at Night Moves, and we’d go to Strut’s down at the Barras, then the Venue, which was the metal club then. We could just play any of those places, and it was a good time, and there seemed to just be a lot of places that we could play.”

A lot of things have changed since then, even if Glasgow’s liking for rock music remains as strong as ever. Ricky’s own career saw several albums with the Almighty, a solo career that is still ongoing (and is based more in Americana than rock) and his current day job with Black Star Riders.

Ricky had taken over as the latest singer with Thin Lizzy, but the band were starting to develop some new ideas. Rather than carry on under the old name, they felt it was would be better to start afresh with a new identity.

Now they have released their third album, Heavy Fire, which went Top 10 and is packed with monstrous riffs and gigantic tunes.

“We’re five years and three albums into it now, and are very much our own men and our own band with our own sound and identity,” says Ricky.

“Black Star Riders is now established as its own thing. We’ve always felt free as a band, so there’s never guidelines for us to follow. What’s happened is that we’ve grown in confidence over the five years that we’ve been together, so any road is open for us to go down.”

Although Heavy Fire is rooted in heavy rock, there’s a host of inspirations in there.

“Having an open mind on anything helps you if you are being creative, “ adds the frontman.

“To try and appreciate other forms of art and have some respect for their ideas can help your own work – Motown is one of my favourite times of music because of the melodies, and I’ve always been in it, probably even more so as I’ve got older.”

Just don’t tell Ricky that after three albums things are getting comfortable…

“I think when you get comfortable it takes the edge off what you do, and that’s true of Black Star Riders,” he says.

“I like things to be difficult so I can keep pushing yourself, because that makes you a better performer and a better writer. I never want to take anything for granted – it’s a cliché but you’re only as good as your last gig, and I really believe that.”

Black Star Riders/Gun, O2 ABC, Wednesday/Thursday, £26.50, 7pm

JONATHAN GEDDES