Listening to the rolling country rock and the distinct Stateside vocal twang of Onionhead’s debut "Search Party" EP –out this week on the band’s own Fairweather label you could be forgiven for thinking Onionheadquarters was sure to be based closer to Birmingham, Alabama, than in the suburbs of it’s chilly West Midland namesake. But, when I tell you lead singer Jules’s cavernous smiley gob reminds me on none other than local hero Don Mclean, make no mistake I’m talking "Cracker-jack!" ("Crack-erjack") and "American Pie".

Onion head spent long stretches of last year loping enthusiastically around Britain on the heels of (amongst others) Galaxie 500 and The Darling Buds, during which time they attracted some canny press, some un-canny onion puns and a neat sponsorship deal from those nice people at CBS Songs.

A lengthy process of musical cross-breeding had finally confused a series of jangly US rip offs to the very brink of originality! "Search Party" is a clattering Verlaine acoustic rush. "Ruminating", the best EP track, is pure R.E.M. piling up against Ricky Skaggs. Jules shrugs off accusations of Stipeism with great good humour. Indeed the whole lanky Dougal Dog bunch act as though ego and arrogance were going out of fashion. Onionhead all live together in one big house, just like The Banana Splits. They warble and strum guitars and would like to be a big shiny pop group -so why not cut the analysis and give the POPSTAR treatment they so richly deserve.

With a minimum of prompting, Jules discloses that his favourite colour is "very dark green". But why are the band named after a 1950’s style porn placebo paperback?

"No-one’s been able to bring themselves to read it," bassist Sammy explains. "It’s just the girl on the cover- she’s wearing a sailors’ cap and a little hoopy top…and then just her knickers".