Brian May feels Freddie Mercury is 'still with' him when he tours

The guitarist admitted he feels "strange" to tour without the lead singer - who died in 1991 - but that his spirit is still with him and bassist John Deacon when they tour under the group's name.

Brian told the Daily Record newspaper: "Our manager says he is busier now than he has ever been. He asked me the other day if I realised we had been going for 40 years and 20 of those years had been without Freddie.

"That's very, very strange for me to think about. A lot of people thought there was no future without Freddie. I certainly did.

"But, in a sense, Freddie is still with us. I deal with part of him every day of my life. That is actually a strangely joyous experience these days."

Despite performing for so long with the band, Brian still gets both stage fright and a buzz every time he picks up his instrument.

He added: "I still have the guitar which I made when I was a boy. I still get an enormous buzz when I pick up the guitar. I am still a kid in that way.

"Going out on stage is such a heightened experience and in a way you are conscious of everything around you.

"But the nerves never go away as anything can happen. It is live and dangerous and that's part of the attraction to the audience."

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