AS THE beards and sunglasses suggest the Archie Bronson Outfit are a furtive bunch.

The trio, who've just bagged The Times' Breakthrough Act at the South Bank Show Awards, have a secret fourth member - Duke Garwood.

The avant-bluesman who can play two saxophones at the same time and the rhaita (the instrument played by snake charmers in cartoons and Carry On films) is hauled in when the occasion demands, like on both their albums.

The original trio, fronted by Sam Windett and his strangulated wail, were discovered by Domino Records boss Laurence Bell playing in his local.

At the time they were all studying at art school, alongside some of the future members of The Duke Spirit.

They released their debut album Fur (produced by Jamie Hince of The Kills) in 2004, and their second, the Pere Ubu-esque Derdang Derdang came out last spring after a long stint indoors.

"We went music crazy for a while,"

admits Windett. "We'd get up, have a coffee and stumble straight into the room and start playing.

"We played for days and days and that turned into weeks and weeks."

After yet more jamming, writing and refining they had 50 mini-discs of music for consideration.

The band decamped to Nashville, Tennessee, and worked with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon) on Derdang Derdang, which reviewers heaped with superlatives.

  • Doors 7pm, tickets £8.50/£7.50. Available from Rounder Records (01273 325440) and Resident (01273 606312).