The Bluetones could be the older cousins of indie pop. You don't see much of them but when you do, you remember how much you like them.

Their melodic, uplifting guitar numbers made them a big draw in the Britpop heydey, with their 1996 debut album Expecting To Fly going to number one and spawning the jangly tunes Slight Return, Are You Blue Or Are You Blind? and Solomon Bites The Worm.

The Bluetones are Eds Chesters, Scott Morris, Adam Devlin, Mark Morris and Richard Payne - five blokes who met in Hounslow (near Heathrow), rehearsed in a garage and then unleashed themselves at just the right time.

Indie girls loved Mark Morris' sweet voice, and indie boys liked the fact they were normal blokes you could enjoy an ale and a game of pool with. It didn't seem to matter they weren't the most credible or rock 'n' roll band ever.

But frontman Mark Morris is not convinced the Britpop tag was right for them. "I don't think any band or artist chooses to fit into any predetermined boundaries," he says. "It's all set up to sell newspapers, which is a good thing because it generates interest. But it's very short-lived."

As the Britpop love-in came to an end, so did the lifecycle of many bands - but The Bluetones carried on regardless, quietly gigging and writing. They now have five albums and 18 singles to their name, revealing harder influences including Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young and Led Zeppelin.

In fact, the 'Tones have sustained a successful career both in and out of the music industry. Mark Morris has tried being a solo artist (under an assumed name) at home and abroad, while also DJing and making films (one of which was recently shown on Channel 4). And you may have seen the band making cameo appearances on Little Britain.

But now they're returning to the music limelight with another tour and a new EP, released on October 10, nearly two years after their last release - a retrospective greatest hits collection.

They're not ones to take themselves too seriously, saying the new recording has: "Such undeniable passion and quality that all who hear it will weep instantly. Ladies and gentleman, retreat to your bungalows and prepare for cheap music in all its potency."

And keen to avoid another categorisation, they continue: "It's not rock music, not British music and not indie but all music, everywhere."

The EP will have a limited CD pressing only and sold only through the Bluetones website, by mail order and at live shows. Their new album in 2006 will be released as normal and will be available at most record shops.

Is it time to feel blue once again?

Starts 7.30pm, tickets cost £12. Call 01273 673311.