AS if being the nation's most published poet and the doyen of the American lo-fi scene isn't enough glory to bask in - Wivenhoe's Martin Newell has now made medical history.

Well in Essex anyway.

"I was the first person in Essex to have Baerveldt surgery," he smiles. "It's for the treatment of glaucoma. I've had this battle with my eyes for ages and finally it's getting sorted and as part of that I had this thing which looks a little like a plastic mid-air refuelling device that they have on planes placed in my eye.

"Back in January I was getting ready for the stick. I couldn't read a newspaper or anything. It was pretty desperate times but after a successful operation last week, I can now see perfectly from one eye and the other eye, though it will never be perfect, is still improving."

Now with some of his old energy back, Martin is making a welcome return to the stage, this time at the Mercury Theatre.

Entitled Over the Kitchen Table, the poet, performer and songwriter made his debut in the intimate Studio Space last year, performing from his back catalogue as well as new material from his then latest album, The Last Boy in the Locarno.

Never one to rest on his creative laurels, Martin is back at the Colchester theatre next month and while there will no doubt be some old favourites to savour, there's also something new.

And having being invited to his Wivenhoe home for our chat, I get a sneaky little preview of just what that is.

"I've always wanted to write a musical," he tells me, "and so that's what I've done. My mum brought me up on those old musicals like My Fair Lady, Sound of Music and South Pacific and when I tell people I love musicals, they always think I'm being ironic but I'm not, I love them.

"I wrote one with Captain Sensible a while back called The Universe of Geoffrey Brown which took us five years to complete and then I wrote the libretto for a children's opera based on the story of Rip Van Winkle, which nearly made it to the Royal Opera House, so I've had some experience with the genre."

Star Cafe is loosely based on the Cinderella story and is what Martin calls his 'little indie pop musical'.

"The idea was to release it as a bit of a concept album," he explains, "and then if anyone wants to actually put it on they can. I reckon I need about 18 songs for it but I already have 20 and my record company Captured Tracks in New York have said they will release it in the New Year on all formats, vinyl/CD and digital, so that's very exciting."

With a huge resurgence of interest in his music both here and in the US, Captured Tracks have already started the long process of repressing his back catalogue to make it permanently available.

But despite Martin insisting on an autumn break, if he continues the way he is going, Captured are going to have trouble keeping up with him.

Starting off in local bands such as Plod before forming his own legendary outfit, The Cleaners From Venus, the poetry side of things came as more of an accident.

Starting out writing funny, rhyming verse, he soon found himself wanting to write “weightier” work, “just to prove to myself I could do it”.

Success as a poet, writer and broadcaster followed, with Martin still holding the accolade of being the most published living poet in the UK, being the last major newspaper poet in residence, for the Sunday Express.

Since then he's also published several collections as well as long verse including Black Shuck, The Wild Man of Orford and the Song of the Waterlily, most of which have been published by Wivenhoe's Jardine Press.

Musically last was a particularly prolific one with a new collaboration with the Hosepipe band. Back together with his former bandmate Nelson (of New Model Army fame and with whom he played in the Brotherhood of Lizards), the project started with the folk band performing music to his Song of the Waterlily poem.

Following a very successful launch at Firstsite art gallery the band, along with Martin, appeared at Folk East and Latitude, where Martin also performed solo in the poetry tent, curated by his former protégé, Luke Wright.

"They'll be no Golden Afternoon this year at the Colchester Arts Centre," he reveals, "but I will be back there in December for our usual poetry gig with John Cooper Clarke, Luke and Ross Sutherland.

"That means this Mercury gig will be the last time people will be able to see me perform live until the end of the year.

"I just felt I needed a bit of time off. I haven't had a break from music and writing for years and what with the operations on my eyes I decided I wanted to go off somewhere and have an adventure. I'm not exactly sure what that adventure is yet but I'm sure it will involve a lot of walking and a lot of fresh air."

If I know Martin it will almost certainly also end up as something poetical or musical in the long run.

Over the Kitchen Table with Martin Newell

Mercury Studio Theatre,

Balkerne Gate, Colchester.

August 12. 8pm.

£12. 01206 573948.

www.mercurytheatre.co.uk