DESPITE modest chart success and a Mercury Music Prize nomination, it was a combination of a car commercial and a so-called 'car-crash celebrity' that made The Zutons a household name.
The Liverpool band's debut album Who Killed The Zutons? was released in 2004 and stuck at around the 50,000 sales mark – until Peugeot opted to use the track Confusion in an advert for its 307 model.
"Then we got the Mercury nomination and the te
lly ad took it up several levels," recalls bassist Russell Pritchard. "It was all good really and we are not averse to doing commercials or anything like that.
"It was a bit of luck and it was a good album and the song got into people's heads."
The follow-up album, Tired Of Hanging Around was released two years later and saw the band score a top ten hit with their song Valerie.
Amy Winehouse liked the song so much she recorded it with producer Mark Ronson and her much-played version of Valerie went on to become an international hit, greatly outselling the original and peaking at number two on the UK singles chart.
"They just asked if they could do a cover of it," says Pritchard. "Amy had already done it on the Live Lounge in a different style which was really good and we all liked that. It was obvious she really liked the song, she was very genuine. It just shows the song is a good one, especially as it was a big hit twice in one year and I don't think that usually happens unless it's a quirky version like Mike Flowers' Wonderwall.
"It was kind of odd but good as well. I first saw the video on Channel 4 late one night and it seemed kind of funny - strange someone else doing what we had done and done so successfully."
Frontman Dave McCabe, who wrote the song, scoffs at rumours saying he bought himself a mansion off the royalties earned through Winehouse's cover of Valerie, but admits he did do well out of it.
"I don't really know Amy but I'm very grateful she did the song," says McCabe, whose band comes to the Corn Exchange on Tuesday. "To be honest, I feel sorry for her. When I met her she didn't seem the monster that she's made out to be."
So how much dough did he make on the strength of the Rehab singer's cover?
"It's true that I have more money than I used to, but it hasn't changed me," he laughs. "Everyone thinks I'm a millionaire because Amy Winehouse covered our song – but most of the money I've earned has been from The Zutons."
It's often said that a lot of The Zutons' appeal owes to the band's attractive sax player and occasional vocalist Abi Harding, partner of the band's drummer Sean Payne.
"It's a fair point," agrees McCabe. "If I came to watch our band I'd probably look at Abi, too. I'm not against it. I just write the songs and play them. But people want to look at something attractive when they watch a band, so you can liken Abi to Paul McCartney in The Beatles."
The band have recently returned from a five-day trip to Japan, where they played two massive shows.
"It was our sixth time in Japan," explains McCabe. "And every time it gets better. It's also better to go when it's cooler. When it's hot it gets uncomfortable and you tend to argue more as a band." So do they argue a lot? "It's just like family. You argue with each other because you're bored – but I'd rather argue onstage or in a dressing room than in an office with someone I have to sit next to every day."
This year The Zutons returned with their third album, You Can Do Anything. The record didn't do as well commercially as the first two records, presumably because it didn't have a big hit on it.
"I think it's a better album than Tired Of Hanging Around," says McCabe. "It's just there are no big songs like Valerie on it. My only regret is that we didn't do any videos. At the end of the previous record we were acting like a silly pop band. People seemed to like that but we reacted against it.
"With these three albums we've learned a lot – but I don't think we've made our best music – or album – yet. So there's a reason to carry on."
Playing live is what the band enjoy most and McCabe says he can't wait to come back to Scotland, where they always get a lot of love.
"Scottish crowds are always really good to us," he says. "They seem to let their hair down a lot more and enjoy themselves.
"We've played some memorable gigs in Edinburgh over the years and it will be good to go back. Our set will be stuff from all three albums – Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?, Tired of Hanging Around, Valerie, that sort of thing – but maybe some new numbers as well. We'll see how we feel."
The Zutons, Corn Exchange, Newmarket Road, Tuesday, 7pm, £20, 0131-443 0404 