LA may be an awful long way from rain-soaked Liverpool, yet tinseltown has weaved its magic on The Zutons.

There’s an added swagger in the step of the band’s eagerly awaited third album recorded stateside that’s whisked its way to the peak of the charts.

Few would have expected they’d take a bold step in borrowing a leaf out of the T-Rex songbook with their glam rock inspired new offering.

As their bass-man Russell Pritchard explains, it may not have been plain sailing over in the US, but they’ve delivered the goods once again.

"We wanted to get away as unit to record but that brought it’s tensions too being away from home for so long. But we’re all pleased with the album- it’s a real grower, which are often the ones which do really well," revealed the bassist player reflecting on their three months.

LA has got a lot of mystique there which we were aware of, but there’s a lot of coldness too- a lot of hard people there and falseness. With it being Hollywood it seems everyone is a producer or in TV.

For the first month we were there it was freezing and colder than Liverpool- people were freaking out buying heaters! But after that it was just fine and I love California as a state though – it’s a really beautiful place."

Listening to some of the darker material off You Can Do Anything, it’s clear that singer Dave McCabe is not entirely comfortable with his lot.

There’s an underlying angst to its lyrical themes which bubble to the surface on several tracks, lending an added sense of urgency to their sound.

The new songs, including lead single Always Right Behind went down a storm with their much-anticipated appearance at Maidstone’s Big Weekend.

"That went well - we haven’t been playing many gigs lately so it was good to get out for a festival. The Radio 1 crowd wasn’t really our kind of audience but we still had a good time. The weather was so fine that day which always makes a difference and we went on to see the Raconteurs who I’m a real fan of."

Still living back home in Merseyside, Russell says he makes the most of what little time they have off from each other with band duties.

Coming from a music-mad family spurred the bassist on during his teens. Weaned on his dad’s record collection including the likes of AC/DC and Pink Floyd, he started out on guitar but is more than happy with his present role at the heart of the Zutons rhythm section.

He’d previously been in another group with their drummer Sean Payne before hooking up with Dave and the group’s sax player Abi Harding.

"There were a lot of good bands around Liverpool when we were starting out which meant we had to push hard, but we’ve got a good work ethic and we knew what we were doing seemed right from the start."

They put out their first single, Devil’s Deal in 2002 which failed to give them the chart-breakthrough they needed. However, two years down the line their debut album landed with their signature track You Will You Won’t which kick-started major press interest.

By the time their second album hit they had cemented a loyal following across the UK and played the major festival circuit across Europe and further afield.

When their biggest singles so far, Valerie was covered by a certain Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, they were laughing all the way to the bank.

One of their most memorable shows to date came with a starring appearance on Kent based Boogie Woogie maestro Jools Holland’s New Year’s Hootenany.

"That’s a special show as it’s all about bands playing live properly- there’s no miming. I didn’t have too much time to chat to Jools but he’s a really nice guy and he complemented me on one of my bass-lines!"

As Russell admits, it’s been hard to switch off from the day job, yet one of their main means of unwinding as a group has been an often-heated round or two of poker.

"I’d be letting myself down if I didn’t say I was the best", he reveals, saying it’s something that they have all managed to bond over.

But behind the scenes it’s been far from sweetness and light as their resolve was tested last year by the departure of guitarist Boyan Chowdhury over alleged "musical differences."

With the incident now behind them they are focusing on a fresh round of tour dates this year.

They've long since moved on from the dingy kind of toilet venues they started out in and are now veterans of the summer festival scene.

After well-received gigs at Leas Cliff Hall and this summer in Maidstone, there’s plenty of expectation surrounding their return to Kent at Bedgebury Pinetum.

"We all want to give the best shows we can and being a live band has always wanted to prove we are decent live, we are good players and like to give something back to the crowds.

"It's always been great being in the Zutons and we're finding that the challenges are just getting bigger and bigger."

The Zutons play the Bedgebury forest concert on Sunday, June 8. Tickets at £26 from 01842 814612 or see www.forestry.gov.uk/music.