By Kate Rees

Last updated 12:01, Thursday, 07 August 2008

The Zutons must really like north Cumbrian crowds, as the band have announced their second gig in the county this year.

The Liverpool five-piece, who describe themselves as “blue grass rootsy stompy” and are best known for huge hits such as You Will You Won’t and Valerie, play The Sands Centre, Carlisle, on Thursday, November 27.

The 22-date tour ends at the Liverpool Echo Arena on December 19. The band played Whitehaven Civic Hall in May, winning the crowd by chanting “Whitehaven, Whitehaven”. They also played The Brickyard in 2004 after the release of their first album Who Killed The Zutons.

They’ll spend the next two months playing a string of festivals, starting with Big Surf, at Newquay, today and finishing with Ibiza Rocks.

The band – singer/guitarist David McCabe, sax-player Abi Harding, guitarist Paul Molloy, drummer Sean Payne and bassist Russell Pritchard – release a new single What’s Your Problem, taken from their third album, You Can Do Anything, on September 8.

Bursting onto the British music scene in 2004, at the same time as Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs, and in the wake of the success of fellow Merseysiders The Coral, their debut album Who Killed The Zutons sold 600,000 copies.

“We were amazed things took off so quickly,” Dave says now. “We were always a band who existed in our own little world, so to have the wider world accept us – well, it was unexpected. But good unexpected, the best.”

Third album You Can Do Anything was recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year.

“Why L.A.?” Dave asks. “Well, sometimes you’ve got to go a million miles from home in order to discover yourself, you know? It was time for a little soul-searching, I think, and we also wanted a different vibe this time. L.A. certainly gave us that.”

The album was produced by George Drakoulias (who has also worked with Johnny Cash and The Black Crowes)

“I’ll be honest with you,” Dave says, “I’d never heard of the bloke, but I had been told he was good. And, right enough he was. Admittedly, he was a little nervous at first, but then I’d be nervous if I was a happy American facing five moody Scousers. Wouldn’t you?”

Tickets, price £20, go on sale tomorrow at 9am, online at www.gigsandtours.com and www.thesandscentre.co.uk or by calling 0871 2200 260 or 01228 625222.