SOUTHERN Californian psychobilly band Tiger Army play TJ's, Newport, next Thursday, with November Coming Fire in support.

Being a psychobilly group, Tiger Army is one part Nashville band, one part Elvis, and a lot of punk spirit.

The punksters are over a year late in Newport, having had all plans scuppered by a brutal robbery.

The band lost its drummer, Fred Hell, when burglars stormed his home and shot him four times.

"We were in the middle of working on the new songs in preparation for entering the studio, Fred was shot and everything came to a halt," says vocalist Nick 13. "Somehow, miraculously, his life did not.

"To this day he literally has a bullet in his brain, which the surgeons informed us posed less of a danger than would an attempt to remove it." A new drummer, James Meza (aka Wasted James) filled his empty stool and they set about recording the latest Tiger Army album, With III: Ghost Tigers Rise.

Self-produced by Nick 13, the album takes the band to a new level sonically where meticulously crafted vintage tones meet modernity in a reflection of the band's overall vibe.

The album represents musical growth rather than departure, as subtle new threads emerge in songs like the beautiful Rose of the Devil's Garden, which hints at the influence of 1980s dark pop like the Smiths, the Cure and Depeche Mode.

Tracks such as Wander Alone lean toward a more muscular mid-tempo rock'n'roll approach, while others combine all the elements known to fans of Tiger Army. Ghostfire features chilling melody that combines an almost gothic country flavour alternating with punk intensity.

Tiger Army have been honing their psychobilly twists since 1995, playing gigs around the Bay Area, where Operation Ivy, Rancid, and Green Day made names for themselves.

The band's eponymous debut album was released in December 1999, followed by Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite in 2001.

As the band prepared for the recording of their third album in spring 2003, Hell was shot four times during the botched breaking and entering. He survived wounds to the back, chest and head, but was unable to physically play in the studio.

With III: Ghost Tigers Rise followed in June 2004.

Tiger Army play TJ's, Newport, on Thursday, January 20. Dial 01633 216608 for more info.