GROWING up in Liverpool, it was quite likely that Phil Baker would have some involvement and interest in music.

The Beatles were belting out massive hits such as She Loves You when three-year-old Phil was given his first drum kit, and had moved on to their Magical Mystery Tour EP by the time he had a Bontempi keyboard.

But it wasn't the Fab Four who influenced his music. During the early 1970s it was contemporary rock which moved him.

He joined his first band at the age of 13 after someone heard him playing guitar in his bedroom above a shop in the city.

The following year he played all of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album live with the band which, had he appeared these days on ITV's Stars In Their Eyes soundalike challenge, would have been a great clue as to who he was going to be.

Now Phil and fellow musicians who got together in a Chorley pub over a few beers are preparing to embark on a national tour next year under the name of Pulse, describing themselves as the ultimate tribute to Pink Floyd.

The Chorley-based rockers met in the town about four years ago. Phil, a professional musician, had been working on the south coast but was homesick for the North and moved to Chorley, where he got to know drummer Neil Aspinall, from Chorley and bass player Tony Hopton, who lives at Euxton.

They advertised for a keyboard player and recruited Neil Gordon, from Bolton, who had played with various tribute, cover and original bands, including one which supported Metallica on one of their UK tours.

Phil, 41, who lives in Warton Place, said: "We started out as an '80s tribute band called Out Of The Blue, playing tracks by Go West and Simple Minds.

Then two years ago, over a pint in the Gillibrand Arms, we had the idea of doing a one-off show because a lot of us liked Pink Floyd anyway."

The venue was Chorley Little Theatre, which at the time was running a Use It Or Lose It campaign encouraging people to make the most of the building.

As a result, fans began asking the band when and where they would be playing next and the full Pulse line-up was born. Phil said: "An idea that was thought up over a pint in the local to do a one-off show for the citizens of Chorley and surrounding areas and give them something that little bit special has grown bigger than anyone could have imagined.

"The enthusiasm that everyone has brought into this venture is unbelievable."

Although Phil's sound is very close to that of the Floyd's Dave Gilmour, people say he looks more like Chris Rea or Eric Clapton.

Pink Floyd are probably best known for their single Another Brick In The Wall, which reached number one in the charts in 1979, but they had a series of hits from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. The current line-up of Pulse is as follows:

PHIL BAKER (lead, flat steel, acoustic guitars/lead vocals);

NEIL ASPINALL (drums);

PAUL BRISTOW (saxophones);

NEIL GORDON (keyboards/backing vocals);

TONY HOPTON (bass guitar/backing vocals):

SAM HILTON and DIANE SWEETMAN (backing vocals).

In addition, because of the amazing light show they put on, the band also have a projectionist, Jon Spicer, who acts as technical director for the lighting, and three Chorley-born lighting and sound experts.

Paul Carr is the band's lighting technician, Neil Halpin is the sound engineer and Russ Turner is assistant lighting technician.

Most of the band members have other jobs but Phil, who has been playing the guitar since he was 10, has been a fully professional musician since 1992.

His musical achievements have spanned more than three decades, during which time he has played with bands, duos and as a solo artiste.

He has produced songs for various markets, including Eurovision and dance troupes, and in the late 1970s wrote songs for a musical for the Year Of The Child charity. Linking up with musicians from the Chorley area gave Phil more opportunities to play with a live band, and they began looking for venues. They played at the Public Hall, Haslingden, earlier this month and dates are lined up in Ireland during May and June and Scotland in August. Nearer home, Pulse -- named after Pink Floyd's P.U.L.S.E. tour of 1994 -- will be playing at the Revival Rock Club in Halifax on Friday, October 19 (call 01422 322113 for more details).

And from next February they will embark on a full UK tour after Phil sent down a video of one of the band's stage performances to Uxbridge in the hope of getting to play at a couple of theatres in the Greater London area. But the video was seen by a promoter who was so impressed he offered them a nationwide tour. Venues will not be known until June or July but they are expected to hold between 500 and 1,500 people.

Phil said Pink Floyd's P.U.L.S.E. tour of 1994 involved 110 shows in 77 cities with an audience of 5.3 million people. "Pink Floyd give their audience a unique show of music, lighting effects and projections -- an experience not all of us are fortunate enough to enjoy.

"However, we try to give a taste of this on a smaller scale and all the hard work everyone has put in has worked out really well."

For information, e-mail Phil at pulse@stardrivemusic.co.uk or visit www.stardrivemusic.co.uk for details and tour dates.