If you think the White Stripes make a raucous take on the blues, then lend an ear to Immortal Lee County Killers II.

Southern grit pumps through their veins with such fervour, even The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion rattle in their wake.

The band, from Alabama, are pencilled in to play a Newport venue on Thursday, September 25.

But they will definitely play Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, on Monday, October 6. They are touring the globe to promote the new Immortal album, Love Unbolts The Dark, which is released on Monday, October 13.

Unlike their contemporaries to the north in New York and Detroit, there's a clang of authenticity to their music.

It's still bastardised blues rock, but they make it sound like it's been played 'back home' since the beginning.

The picture tells no lies either: there are just two of them, hence the 'II' tag, like the White Stripes, just less attractive.

Together they are adventurous across all six studio tracks with producer Lynn 'Doc' Bridges at the controls.

Doc has previously worked with fellow rootin' tootin' types Hellacopters, although that band hail from Sweden.

He's managed to single-handedly capture the raw power of the band's live performance and demonstrate their impressive technical capabilities. All the band's previous output has been self-recorded. As well as the studio tracks on Love Unbolts, there are four live cuts. It's a fair document of the band's corn- fuelled interstellar journey.

* Maybe catch Immortal Lee County Killers in Newport on Thursday, September 25, or failing that, in Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, on Monday, October 6. Dial 029 2023 2199 for more information.