Fresh from his triumphant appearance with the reunited Faces at Cornbury earlier this month, Ian McLagan is heading back to Oxford for a date at the Bullingdon Arms on the Cowley Road on Wednesday (August 3. A highly suitable venue, you may think, given that this is one of the dates on Mac’s "A guy walks into a bar" UK tour.

"I will be playing, telling a few stories and answering questions. Maybe stay at the end for a drink," says McLagan . There should be certainly no shortage of stories to tell given that this keyboards player has belonged to not one, but two legendary bands, the Faces and the Small Faces.

But in addition to talking about his life with Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Steve Marriot and Ronnie Lane, Mac has been on world tours with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

A bar will always be the place that many associate with the Faces. But things were apparently much different when the all got back together this summer, with Simply Red's Mick Hucknall standing in for Rod Stewart and ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock for the late great Ronnie Lane.

"Well Ronnie Wood is sober these days," said McLagan. "But I have to say he’s just as much fun sober as when he’s drinking. Kenney Jones (the Faces drummer) and Mick have a glass of champagne after the show. I think I was the only one drinking and that was just half a glass of wine before the show."

So he was well able to appreciate the countryside at Great Tew. "I took a wonderful picture of a beautiful tree, which I see whenever I use my i-phone. Ronnie invited Rod to come down to join us at Cornbury. He couldn't be there. But he sent an emal before the show sending his love to everyone, telling us to have a great show." Relations have clearly improved since an unhappy split in 1975.

When the singer wants to join the band with which he made his name, it seems the others will be ready, including his present . replacement. "Mick knows it is Rod's gig, should Rod decide to come back and do it. Meanwhile, we have got Mick."

McLagan will just have one just one member of his own Bump band, Jon Notarthomas, when he plays at the Bullingdon. We can expect Small Faces classics, with heavy emphasis on Ronnie Lane songs. McLagan sometimes seems like a man on mission to remind the world that his late friend remains sadly under rated as a songwriter with the Faces and later Slim Chance.

He even followed Lane to live in Texas, where Mac is still based. It turns out the original Sex Pistols bass player was a real Ronnie Lane fan, with the Faces one of the few seventies super groups bands that punk bands would admit to admiring.

McLagan was invited to play with The Rich Kids formed by Matlock after he left the Sex Pistols and fronted by Midge Ure.

He recalls going straight from The Rich Kids to record with the Stones. Keith and Mick were all desperate for inside information about these new upstarts. "Keith was asking, 'So what are they like?.' So I told him, 'They really just like us. They want to rock.'"

Don't doubt it. When Mac walks into the bar, you could not wish for better company.