Armed with just five strings and a stripped-down drum kit, The Presidents Of The United States Of America shone a little light into the post-Cobain darkness of the mid-Nineties American rock scene.

Led by singer and two-string bassitar (bass guitar) player Chris Ballew, the trio scored top 20 hits with the insistently catchy singles Lump and Peaches from their eponymous debut album, released in 1996.

Internationally the album sold 4.5 million copies V not bad for a record based around insects, cats and the ambitions of up-and-coming rock stars.

There was a folk artist in the US called Spider John Koerner, says Chris, speaking from his Seattle home. He used to revive all these old traditional folk songs like Froggy Went A-Courtin and Boll Weevil.

I was always thinking, What if you take Spider Johns classic folk about bats and bugs and combine them with the melodic sound of Lenny Kravitz and the power of Nirvana? That is the Presidents, basically.

Sadly, after an under-achieving follow-up album, called simply II, the band split in 1998.

I got burned out, says Chris. I lost perspective, my creative impulses got really polluted by the activity of selling the records. I lost track of playing music for the sake of it. We needed to clear the decks and rest. In retrospect we needed a break, not a break-up.

But between the split and their reformation V heralded by the release of their 2004 album Love Everybody V the band wasnt forgotten by their fans, especially those in the UK.

Weve got a really solid connection with the people in the UK, says Chris. Its amazing V while we were broken up for five years or so, we were getting messages via the internet from the UK saying Dont forget us, we are still here!

Now the band has released a new album, These Are The Good Times People V their first with new guitbassist Andrew McKeag, who replaces the bands original three-string player Dave Dederer.

Dave started to fade out in September 2004 V he played his last show with us in December that year, says Chris. Hes still involved with us V hes got a good head on his shoulders for business V but hes not in the live band any more. I think he just wanted to move on to something else.

With Andrew theres a lot more guitar solos, because hes that kind of guitar player.

I cant think of a single guitar solo on a Presidents record before him, apart from when Kim Thyall from Soundgarden played on Naked And Famous on the first record.

The addition of the odd guitar solo isnt the only new thing on the record. These Are The Good Times People also sees the band investigate new poppier styles, and on album closer Deleter they even present their take on R n B and Tower Of Power-style soul.

I feel its a good continuation of our strength, which is borrowing from other styles, says Chris. It is dominantly more poppy but we also borrow from a jazzy band style on Flame Is Love and shoegazer indie-pop sound on Sharpen Up Those Fangs.

What I think we like to do is filter those styles through our five-string sound and see how it comes out.

One thing that hasnt changed, aside from the rhythmic contributions by drummer Jason Finn, is Chriss obsession with little bugs and beasties, which has been with the band ever since their first limited-edition release, the 1994 cassette Froggystyle.

Ive made songs about little monkeys and frogs my whole life, says Chris. I had discounted them as worthless, but then I finally decided to let my freak flag fly. It takes a lot of courage when it is not being done by anyone else V I credit LSD with the solution. It broke open the door of perception, as advertised!

Im always recording little cassette tracks which I put on CDs and listen to, so I can wait for something to catch my ear. I equate the little songs to body parts. I build monsters. Sometimes its a case of this song I wrote ten years ago works with a verse I wrote ten days ago.

The new albums title, These Are The Good Times People, originates from a catchphrase Chris used to say on tour in dressing rooms across the world when the band was feeling run down and tired, to try to remind them what they had signed up for.

But it also has a slightly ironic tone, after a couple of stressful years in Chriss life.

I guess its trying to shed light on a moment where you could decide things are going to suck, but you decide that theyre good, says Chris.

Its about deciding to take the shiny path instead of the muddy path. I went through an interesting couple of years, got divorced and moved out, had to re-start in some ways.

Human beings are the only animals that punish themselves over and over again for the same mistake. If a dog encounters a porcupine and gets a quill in its nose it just goes, Porcupines bad. It doesnt go around a year later saying, God, Im such a stupid dog for messing with that porcupine V but humans do.

To me thats the negative path. Thats why I could never write those sorts of songs for public consumption because I feel its not putting good love in the pot.

Even though the blues is a sorrowful sound its carthartic, you get to lose yourself and sweat and go crazy. A lot of arty type music doesnt offer that visceral experience V it just offers the dark side and I kind of think its irresponsible, painting a negative picture for people to follow rather than inspire a positive one.

I would love it if the goth people got up and sung about the things they enjoyed, like a good sandwich!

Support from Electric Eel Shock, Kid Carpet and Loz Mendozas.

  • Starts 7.30pm, SOLD OUT. Call 01273 673311.