An indie rocker who made his name in the band Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine has been chosen to open a popular summer festival.

Streatham born singer Jim Bob will join revellers at the Overground Festival in Crystal Palace on Saturday, June 16.

The musician, who has also written songs for punk singer Ian Dury, believes his success on the London pop scene in the nineties has been “written out of musical history” but insists he still meets young fans at his gigs.

The band, who are probably best known for their 1989 track Sheriff Fatman, which rails against slum landlords, recently performed a sell-out a show at the Brixton academy.

Mr Bob said: “There are definitely some new people. They may be kids of fans I suppose but I think people can discover music from the past and find it exciting, they don’t have to have been there at the time it was created.

“However, the band do tend to be the oldest people in the building.”

Mr Bob, who also pens black comedy novels alongside musical projects, said he still considers Lambeth to be very much his home.

He said: “I was born in Streatham and have never lived further than a few miles away.

“The scene I was a part of [in the 90s] was spread across the country and I remember touring and playing outside London more fondly in a way.

“But I’ve been in Crystal Palace for years. It’s changed massively- I think for the better. I like Crystal Palace at the weekend when it becomes a bit like a busy village.”

For more information about all the acts performing at this year’s festival, visit www.crystalpalacefestival.org.