WHEN I tell Keith Murray, the charismatic leader of We Are Scientists, that I once saw him dancing like a whirling dervish on top of a grand piano in North Wales he laughs out loud.

“A fan got in touch and said we don’t get any bands playing in Caernarfon, so will you come,” said Murray, who brings US rockers We Are Scientists to Clitheroe’s Grand Theatre next Friday.

“The guy had put his life savings into the gig and that takes a lot of guts,” he adds.

“We said yes straightaway and that’s the magic of music, you just follow your heart and instinct and the rest sort of happens.”

We Are Scientists have always done it their own way, a DIY pop punk ethic that has served them well since the release of their 2005 debut album, With Love and Squalor.

It was a hit here before it was even released in America.

And when We Are Scientists teamed up with Maximo Park, the Mystery Jets and a breaking band from Sheffield named the Arctic Monkeys on the NME Shock-Wave Tour a year later, they both shot to fame.

“Our profile is bigger over here and that tour put us on the map in the UK,” says Murray.

“I met Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys singer) on Shock Wave and we were insanely close for a long time.

“When he moved to New York, then we’d hang out together because he lived in the next block.

“They called it a fairytale rock camaraderie, but we were just huge pals.”

We Are Scientists, it seems, are enjoying their outrageous sonic adventure as much as ever.

Their most recent album Megaplex is a big, fat, slice of indie-pop on their own 100% Records.

Make no mistake, it is a party record, a splash of pop technicolour and joy for these uncertain times.

“Every day, America feels like utter mayhem with Donald Trump in the White House,” added Keith.

“I don’t assume anybody blames me or all of the American people for putting him there, but this braying jackass is doing so much damage to the world.

“I think we just feel so beaten down and degraded because his policies are so vacuous and mindless.”

The opening salvo on Megaplex, One In, One Out, is a sizzling electro-pop tune with a mighty chorus.

“It’s funny, when you are not writing material there’s always that fear at the back of your mind that you might not be able to pen another song.

“I’d say 99 per cent of song writing is incredibly easy, but it is that one per cent that is the kernel, the real gold dust.

“And that can be difficult to mine every time.”

He added: “I like to please people and have fun and we are going to have a lot of fun in Clitheroe because it is going to be a great show.”

We Are Scientists, Grand Theatre, Clitheroe, Friday, October 19. Details from 01200 421599 or www.thegrandvenue.co.uk