IT is wonderfully appropriate that The Saw Doctors were discovered playing in the back room of their local pub in the west of Ireland.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys liked what they were doing so much that he offered them a support slot on his band’s UK tour.

Now, over 20 years on, The Saw Doctors are very much headliners in their own right, selling out concerts on both sides of the Atlantic.

But the spirit of fun and enjoyment which was so obvious in that pub back room is still the key element of today’s live shows.

“We make no apologies for enjoying what we do,” said Leo Moran, a founder member of the band.

“It’s a real bonus to get people to be part of what’s going on.

“But our fans are magnificent. They are always unbelievable and have become an integral part of the show.”

After more than 20 years on the road and hundreds of live shows, The Saw Doctors show no signs of taking it easy but they have cut back on the rehearsal time.

“We always do a soundcheck in the afternoon before a show where we will work through a few things,” said Leo.

“But when we have rehearsed we’ve always got bored after a couple of hours.

“There are days on the road when you might be feeling a bit tired, or in our case a bit hung over, but the moment you get up there and see the crowd you forget all that and the adrenalin kicks in.”

Blending roots and rock music, The Saw Doctors have a broad appeal.

“We actually have footage taken at one of our gigs of four generations of the same family in the audience,” said Leo.

“There are some familiar faces you see in the crowd at nearly every show.”

* The Saw Doctors, Coronation Hall, Ulverston, Tuesday, April 19; Albert Halls, Bolton, Thursday, April 21.