MILD mannered, quiet, serious and considered, he's hardly the epitome of a famous rock star.

Softly spoken Mike Mills, bassist with REM - who play Southampton's Rose Bowl tonight - is one of the most unassuming celebrities out there.

Despite his 28-year career in the international spotlight, with countless sell-out stadium gigs under his belt, Mills is far from complacent.

Reflecting on his achievements is saved for some time in the future.

"There will be time enough for sitting back and reflecting later," he states sensibly.

"Right now, I'm looking forward to this summer's tour and then, of course, the next record."

He and fellow REMer Peter Buck hit the age of 50 this year, and lead singer Michael Stipe turns 48 - but the sound of REM is certainly showing no sign of ageing.

Mills speaks of new album Accelerate which, he says, is perfect for playing live.

"We had great fun with Accelerate," he said. "Something we intended to do was to really enjoy making the record, and we succeeded."

Accelerate went straight to number one in the album charts when it was released in April this year, and was hailed a "return to form" for a band that many music critics argued had released weak records ever since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

"They are missing the point though," comments Mills. "The point is that this is REM in 2008. It is not a return to anything.

"The great thing about being your own boss is that you can do what you want.

"This time, it felt like the time to do a really fast, really rock 'n' roll record. That's what we have done and we are very pleased with it."

He admits the band is more focused than it has been in a decade. We feel more like a band than we have for some time. Every relationship has its ups and downs, but we are very good friends and we are very confident in what we are doing right now."

Of the future, Mills says: "I don't see why not more albums. We feel good about where we are. We are still making good music and we are still having fun, so why not continue?

"Everybody in the band at some point has had enough, but really there is nothing more important in our lives than REM. There has been a point when I have thought I've had enough' but that's natural."

Tonight's Rose Bowl gig is one of just four UK stadium concerts for the band this summer. It might just bring back some memories for Mills.

"I saw Southampton play QPR back in 1995," he remembers with a chuckle. "I went to the match at QPR's ground with Joe Boyd, who produced our record Fables of the Reconstruction - he is a big QPR fan."