"I remember someone sending me a demo tape a few years ago," explains Ian. "It was just after the Lightning Seeds’ last record. I played one song and it blew me away. I went to meet these kids from the Wirral. They were The Coral. That track was Shadows Fall. It was clear from the begin-ning that they had some- thing special.

"So I worked on The Coral’s first album, and James (singer James Skelly) had this mate, Dave, who used to come to watch rehearsals. He had a band, and they had this weird sound. I always told them to make it weirder, not to sound like anyone else.

"They were The Zutons, and I always thought they were good. But when Abi joined them for one gig, they became something else."

Ian produced for them, too, as well as The Subways, French rock band Noir Desir and The Rifles.

"People think I’ve been sitting with my feet up watching the TV," he grins. "I’ve been busy."

For the new album, Four Winds, Broudie says he has returned to the drawing board.

"People say ‘Have you got the band back together?’ and I think, well, yeah, ‘cos it’s just me," he laughs. "But I’ve got my Lightning Seeds head back on, so the band – whatever it was – is back together.

"I used to try to make records you’d like the first time you heard them. Now I try to make records you like on the third listen.

THE Lightning Seeds play the Phil on July 26. Details at 0151 709 3789 or www.liverpoolphil.com