The smoking ban has done terrible damage to rock stars who wield cigarettes as a stage prop. Now one leading artist has found a way to evade the prohibition by performing the first “virtual gig” for puffers.

Richard Hawley, the Mercury Prize-nominated rocker from Sheffield, is rarely seen without a packet of 20. “I insist on a fag wherever I’m playing,” said the crooner, whose Lady’s Bridge album hit the top ten.

So Hawley has been digitally recreated within the 3D environment of Second Life, the virtual, web-based world which operates its own currency, industry - and public health rules.

Hawley’s fans, who created their own digital characters, or “avatars”, gathered in Second Life for a live performance from the singer, whose movements were digitally captured while he strummed in a Manchester studio.

To the singer’s satisfaction, the digital Hawley was able to light up and rest his virtual cigarette in an ashtray on top of his amp, apeing his movements in the studio. His avatar fans could follow suit, as Hawley performed a selection of folk and country classics.

“There is probably a Second Life government who will give me a Second Life fine but that’s too bad,” said Hawley,40, who answered questions from his virtual audience after the show, supping a 3D pint of bitter and puffing on another cigarette.

Rock stars are finding it hard to comply with the new regulations. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were accused of lighting up in front of 20,000 fans at a Rolling Stones gig at London’s O2 Arena.

Paul Weller risked a £200 fine by lighting up twice at the London Astoria. “This is the best drug known to man,” he told fans. Businesess, including Second Life - if it can be proved that it is an enclosed public space, face a £2,500 fine for allowing smoking. However surveys show that half of people are smoking less since the ban in England took effect.

Second Life, which has a population of six million, is an environment where the constraints of the real world no longer apply. Residents party at nightclubs, attend fashion shows, and inevitably, seek random sexual encounters.

Leading brands have moved in, with Adidas selling shoes for around £30, when the currency of Linden Dollars is converted to sterling. The Maldives has become the first country to open an embassy in Second Life.

Hawley has recreated his Sheffield home, complete with selections from his jukebox, copies of the Sheffield Star and the ability to click through and buy the books on his bookshelf.

But the singer, 40, admitted that he was sceptical about the venture. “I’ve got three kids, I’m still trying to get my head around my first life never mind a second one,” he said. “But when I saw how they recreated my house and created a live virtual concert I was impressed."

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