Some bands have an aura about them and can hold an audience captive with a few minutes of striking up the first chord. Band Of Horses, Fleet Foxes and Cowboy Junkies spring to mind, as does Blonde Redhead albeit on a slightly smaller scale. So, who are they? Making music since the mid-90s with luminaries such as Sonic Youth's drummer Steve Shelley and Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, singing songs in four languages, rubbing shoulders with pop-icon David Sylvian for a b-side recording, having a few tracks soundtrack TV idents and the film "Dungeon Masters" and allowing the track "23" to be used to advertise Pontiac cars might not sound like the stuff of legends, but their music is what counts.

The US-trio will return to Northern Europe for a short tour, involving just ONE stopover in the UK, in London. 29th September will see them touch down at the Shepherd's Bush Empire and tickets will be whizzing out on Friday morning at 9am - £17.50 is the asking price.

Head to their website at www.blonde-redhead.com to hear the new album track "Here Sometimes", give it a couple of minutes and I challenge you not to feel a little bit impressed. If the rest of the forthcoming album, "Penny Sparkle", is anything to go by then we could be hearing a lot more of Blonde Redhead come Christmas. Due for release on 14th September, it features Alan Moulder (Dep Mode, MBV, Curve, Yeah Yeah Yeahs-producer), The Subliminal Kid and Van Rivers at the controls, giving the band a rather shimmery electronic-twist that sounds the dog's nuts so far. It'll be a packed house.