It isn't often that a band gets named after an illness, ailment or accident but that is certainly the case with Rhode Island's country and folk-rock outfit Deer Tick. Not to be confused with the similarly-named Deerhoof and Deer Hunter, the Tickheads (as they are referred to by fans and the band alike), were named by head-honcho John McCauley after he discovered a deer-tick burrowed into his scalp after a walk in the Indiana hills. Rather than be revolted by his parasitic passenger, he named his band after it. "I just thought it sounded cool", he said during a recent interview.

Three albums later, including 2010's new approaching "Black Dirt Sessions", and the band have a few dozen songs to share with you, aided by a quartet of autumnal dates.

Their short UK hop starts in London at the Shoreditch-based Cargo on 28th September and continues to Leeds (29th), Manchester (30th), then Belfast on 2nd and finally Whelan's in Dublin on 3rd October. Tickets are available now and are a little over a tenner (after fees). Expect a fusion of American-roots and rock n roll plus some surprise cover version thrown in for good measure.