EARLY acclaim can be as much a curse as a blessing for a fledgling band. Being presented with gongs and catapulted into the limelight as fresh, young twentysomethings can present a massive challenge to longevity.

But some 11 years after winning the Mercury Music Prize for their debut album, Bring It On – a collection of catchy, low-fi, blues-inspired pop-rock songs – Gomez continue to ride their quirky musical wave, constantly pushing towards new horizons.

UK tours are a rare occurrence these days for the British five-piece who limit their live outings to a few months of the year; the demands of family life are now a consideration, with all married and three of them with children.

With the USA a touring priority, Ian Ball, Tom Gray, Paul Blackburn and Olly Peacock have all relocated across the Atlantic, with only Ben Ottewell remaining an English resident. Next week, however, he is joined by his expat bandmates on the road in Britain, with a schedule that includes a date at Exeter's Lemon Grove.

It will be the first chance for Westcountry fans to hear tracks from the band's sixth studio long player, A New Tide, in the live arena. A follow-up to 2006's How We Operate – the title track of which was prominently featured on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, drawing major acclaim and radio airplay – it was released in spring this year.

Always freewheeling with their sound, the latest tracks plug into more experimental roots with songs like Win Park Slope and Airstream Driver evincing a spirit born of boundless imagination and a longstanding collaborative relationship.

With the band members now scattered from Brooklyn to Brighton, early songs were written and recorded individually, then merged online.

The process allowed for an open and adaptive songwriting approach, the material taking on its ultimate shape when Gomez officially convened in studios in Chicago and Charlottesville with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine, Counting Crows).

As ever, a wide range of styles is incorporated into the musical brew. Flavours of Delta blues, psychedelia and Krautrock all come into play, resulting in a musically mischievous and forward- thinking collection. They also harnessed the skills of a number of illustrious guest musicians, including vocalist Amy Milan (Stars and Broken Social Scene), bassist Josh Abrams (The Roots, Godspeed You Black Emperor!) cellist Oliver Krauss (David Gray, Paul Weller, Beth Orton) and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie (of Brooklyn's Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra).

Gomez have stood apart from the beginning but it hasn't been always been an easy ride. After their early success they were dropped by their record label, Virgin, after 2004's Split the Difference.

Nevertheless they have continued to release long players every couple of years, as well as several compilations; last year they celebrated the 10th anniversary of Bring it On with a re-release and special one-off performance of the album at Chicago's Vic Theatre.

Rare birds indeed in the Westcountry, past shows down here include a headline slot at Beautiful Days Festival in Devon a couple of years back and a gig at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro in 2004.

Gomez perform at the Lemon Grove, Exeter University. on Thursday, November 19. Support comes from Frightened Rabbit. For tickets telephone 01392 263518 or visit www.exeterboxoffice.com or www.seetickets.com.