The Qemists Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Saturday, March 14

AS they put together their long-awaited third album, Sussex trio The Qemists admit Brighton was integral to inspiring their fusion of rock and drum and bass.

“We were living in neighbouring villages around East Sussex and Brighton was the epicentre of everything,” says guitarist Liam Black ahead of this weekend’s homecoming show, which closes a national ten-date tour.

“We would come to Brighton to buy band T-shirts and posters. So many great acts would come through the town. We were blessed by being able to sneak into clubs and watch DJs play week in, week out. There wasn’t a Friday or Saturday night when we didn’t go out and absorb dance music culture – it was everything to us. Brighton was fundamental in shaping our music and our career.”

Having started out as a rock band in the late 1990s, gradually the trio began to integrate their love of dance music into their sound, as captured on 2009 debut Join The Q following five years of singles and remixing the likes of Coldcut, Roots Manuva and Dr Octagon.

“I can’t put that move down to one specific moment or event,” says Black. “I suppose it really took off when we started to play for free in Concorde 2 during their drum and bass nights. That’s when we realised how we fitted in there – rather than being a punter and enjoying the music we realised we had some significance beyond pure enjoyment.”

He says the band’s third album Warrior Sound, which is set for release later this summer, is their continuing attempt to perfect the sound they have had in their heads ever since.

“Now we have got to the point where we are delivering the songs that we always wanted to make,” he says. “We are finding the right people to work with and have the right skill set.”

The album, which takes its title from the Rage Against The Machine song Mic Check, sees the trio collaborate with grime rapper Ghetts, Japanese metal and dance fusion band Crossfaith and rap-metal band Hacktivist, following on from previous Qemists collaborations with Enter Shikari, Rob Hawkins of The Automatic, and MCs Maxsta and ID.

Black says their cross-genre collaborations reflect the audiences found at most club nights now.

“When you go to drum and bass or EDM nights – anything that revolves around heavy bass lines – you will find rockers, metallers and hipsters there,” he says. “It’s fantastic to see people are accepting more than one scene.”

The Qemists’ UK tour comes off the back of a European support slot with nu-metal legends Korn, who are making similar in-roads into a more electronic world.

“It’s interesting to see, they are still adjusting the way they play their records,” says Black. “They are adding new elements like a keyboard player. We spent time with Jonathan [Davis, the band’s longtime vocalist] who was playing us all these crazy dance records. They are still a very current influence in what we do. They handpicked us to play their shows – it was an awesome experience.”

Part of The Qemists’ fanbase comes from another income stream they enjoy, creating bespoke music for adverts, films and videogames.

“We have gained a lot of fans through computer games,” says Black, who is currently studying string arrangements to help with soundtrack work.

“That connection came quite organically for us – from day one our music was being picked up and put on films and games. As a commercial and professional act we are very fortunate – it means we can spend many years doing this.

“We are able to be very creative pushing our sound to different areas.”

The material for the forthcoming album is currently being road-tested, with Black, bassist/DJ Dan Arnold and drummer Leon Harris being augmented by two live vocalists to fill in the guest slots.

“There are big pressures on doing a hometown gig, but it is so much fun to play,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it!”

Duncan Hall

Essential info: Doors 7pm, tickets £12. Call 01273 673311.