They rode out of Southport in search of fame and fortune, and found it last year when their debut album, Bring It On, scooped the Mercury Music Prize, joining an illustrious posse which includes Primal Scream, Pulp and M People. Not bad for a ramshackle bunch of Britrock outlaws, who owe a heavy creative debt to The Grateful Dead, Woody Guthrie and Dr. John, and whose winning debut was recorded in a musty old garage. Gomez are led by the singin', guitar-pickin' Ian Ball and Ben Ottewell, and their grungy, psychedelic country sound has roped in a massive fanbase in the UK, and the band takes another trek to Dublin next Friday (Dec 3) for a gig at Dublin's Olympia Theatre. The band's second album, Liquid Skin, was released in September, and features the singles, Bring It On and R&B Alibi.