The Cowboy Junkies have had critics dribbling with glee ever since they used a single microphone to record a night of jamming in Toronto's Holy Trinity church.

The resulting album, The Trinity Sessions, received rave reviews and constant college radio airplay, eventually being certified Platinum.

The band's standing has continued to grow over a career which, from their debut covers album, Whites Off Earth Now, has lasted nearly 20 years.

Those two decades have included spells with two major labels, RCA and Geffen, as well as on their own label Latent, during which they have released such classic albums as Pale Sun, Crescent Moon and Lay It Down.

And now, the quartet three siblings, Michael, Margo and Peter Timmins, plus childhood friend Alan Anton have released One Soul Now, their ninth studio album to date.

Broadly speaking, it features the same Americana-tinged blend of country, blues, folk and rock that the band have long made their own.

"Early in our career we developed a sound which I would describe as American roots music," says bassist Alan. "Over the years, it has changed a bit but we've always been careful not to mess with it too much."

It seems fair to suggest that this late Eighties "American roots music" played a part in preparing the ground for alt.country, a genre that would explode a decade or so later.

"When we were first playing," says Alan, "there were a few people doing a similar thing Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams but it was a fairly isolated scene. The audience is definitely much bigger now and, yeah, I suppose we had some part in that."

As founding fathers of the scene, they are often asked if they ever think of calling it a day as the next generation of alt.country stars comes through.

"We get that question a lot," says Alan. "But we just take it year by year.

"I've known Mike since kindergarten and played in bands with him before the Cowboy Junkies so it's hard to imagine not making music together. As long as it feels fresh, we'll carry on." Marcus O'Dair
Starts 8pm. Tickets: £17/£15.50/£14, Tel 01273 709709