Known as one of the garage rock scene’s most enigmatic frontmen, Arish “King” Khan gives off a sense that he is itching to throw himself back into touring.

In 2008, King Khan And The Shrines were on the verge of crossing over into wider consciousness. The large band of musicians drawn from Canada and Germany had just put out a best of compilation on Vice Records – the imprint of the painfully cool hipster monthly magazine. The Supreme Genius Of King Khan And The Shrines drew praise for highlighting the band’s soulful take on the raw garage sound.

Khan followed that up by forming part of super-group The Almighty Defenders with The Black Lips and Khan’s long-term collaborator Mark Sultan, releasing an album and touring extensively. However, since 2009 Khan has been remarkably quiet.

On the cusp of a return, the Montreal-born Berlin resident reveals why new King Khan And The Shrines material has been such a long time coming.

“I guess there’s a lot different reasons. With the amount of people in the band, it’s always kind of a struggle. But a lot of things happened. I went a bit crazy about three years ago, which was probably a long time coming. I kinda had a nervous breakdown and had to take two years off to reassess everything.”

Despite the seriousness of Khan’s mental health issues, which were compounded by the death of three of his best friends while he was recovering, the openness with which he talks suggests he’s back on the up.

He says the new record – Idle No More – due for release the day after their forthcoming Brighton gig at The Haunt, deals with his personal issues and has a more sombre tone.

“In some ways this album represents that downfall. I guess that’s why there’s more of a serious feeling throughout the record. But I’m glad to say that we made it through.”

Aside from the new record, Khan has not been taking what most people would consider a relaxed recovery. Documentary maker Prichard Thomas Smith invited Khan to be the music supervisor for his new feature on Memphis black power group The Invaders.

Khan excitedly describes The Invaders’ emergence in the late 1960s and how they managed to quell gang violence and unify the people in the city’s various black neighbourhoods.

“For a long time there’s been this untold story about The Invaders. There are all these articles from the FBI and CIA who wanted to shut them down because they were finally doing something great. They were blamed for all this violence happening in Memphis at the time, which was untrue. This movie finally tells this incredible story and it was a big honour for me to be invited to work on it.”

Despite being viewed as a group with heavy-handed tendencies, The Invaders were actually in conversation with the non-violent protest leader Martin Luther King about taking their movement nationwide when King was killed. Khan was personally requested for the project by The Invader’s leader John B Smith after he heard his music. Its release is clearly something Khan is very excited about.

Now a music director for serious documentaries and a father-of-two, Khan may be a more mature character than when he was putting out songs about dating fat girls, but he says don’t expect The Shrines’ live show to be anything other than a madcap and joyous experience.

“The whole way I’ve taken the show is to think of it as a healing ceremony for people to come out and to get into a blissful state; that’s never changed, that’s always been my philosophy. I try to perform live in the tradition of old gospel, or like how The Witches used to do it back in the day: conjure up a whole lot of sexual and magical energy.”

On a previous tour some of Khan’s “sexual and magical energy” ended up with his rear end plastered all over the internet’s less salubrious gossip websites. During a show in Cannes attended by Lindsay Lohan, Khan used an outfit change as an opportunity to present his behind within a few inches of the notoriously troubled star’s face.

“It was on TMZ, a really terrible tabloid taste show, and the first headlines were something like ‘Black lady puts her butt in Lindsay Lohan’s face’. I guess I do have a kinda very nice round butt, so I took it as a compliment.”

Khan now expects a degree of lunacy going on in the crowd as fans have been keen to emulate what’s happening onstage.

“I remember seeing this one guy in New York who would come to all our shows in the area and would be taking mouthfuls of glitter and blowing it at people. We seem to attract strange creatures from all over and they come and they have a ball.”

Perhaps the most audacious new aspect of The Shrines’ show is potential for the gigs to serve as a shotgun wedding service.

“I recently got ordained so now there’s a lot of a requests for me to marry people at our shows.

“I thought it would be funny if The Shrines got a reputation for being some sort of Las Vegas where could people come to the shows and I could marry them. You know, roll out a red carpet and have them walk down the aisle.”

Chuckling with delight at the prospect of coming to a city famed for its outrageous Pride celebrations, Khan promises to put on a hell of a show. You’d be a fool to doubt him.