Brothers Robin and Joe Bennett may have had the most English of upbringings but their hearts have always been in America.

Raised in one of Oxfordshire’s prettiest villages, the pair spent their youths listening to the laidback country rock of Gram Parsons, The Band and The Byrds.

So it was almost inevitable they should eventually find themselves leaving Steventon and setting off on their own roadtrip through the wide open horizons of the American West.

That experience, of travelling down long lonely highways, of breaking down in the desert, and of late-night jam sessions with new friends met along the way, has inspired what is their best work to date.

Calling themselves The Dreaming Spires, the brothers fuse the sun-drenched melodies of the States with quintessentially British pop — and accents. And the result, their acclaimed debut album Brothers in Brooklyn, tells their story.

A gloriously upbeat slab of widescreen country-rock, the album was inspired by touring through the States while supporting another Oxford legend, Mark Gardener of ’90s ‘shoegaze’ band Ride, and through the brothers’ experiences in New York, where Joe lived for two years.

But it also has impeccable Oxford credentials, being largely recorded at night at the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Music — where bandmate Nick ‘Growler’ Fowler was working at the time, and in Robin’s living room in East Oxford.

The album boasts the talents of Ride drummer Loz Colbert, Mercury Rev guitarist Jason Sebastian Russo and Oxford jazzmen Stuart Macbeth and John West of The Original Rabbit Fooot Spasm Band.

“As much as we love American music, we are proud of where we are from, and are a real Oxford band,” says Robin.

I caught up with Robin before a gig in Glasgow — a less than comfortable ride north for himself, Joe and drummer Jamie Dawson, in a small van. It is, I suggest, a far cry from the Californian horizons which inspired their songs.

“We are travelling like plumbers in a little van,” he laughs. “It’s so small we are playing as a three-piece; we can’t fit four in because of the amount of equipment. The guy here fainted when he saw how much we had brought. We’ve got the keyboard and eight guitars. There’s a lot going on.

“Compared to touring America it’s quite easy, though. It’s not like travelling the whole length of Oklahoma to get between shows.”

The tour is accompanied by the release of new single I Just Can’t Keep This Feeling In, taken from the album, and will see them joined by Growler, who has served with the brothers since their first band Goldrush.

It has been quite a journey for the Bennetts since those early days — when they were signed to Virgin and supported the likes of Elbow and Flaming Lips.

The lads have also performed with Danny and the Champions of the World, and Joe continues to play with Michael Gale’s folky-rock band Co Pilgrim. Then there were the festivals: Truck — which the brothers set up more than 15 years ago, and still going strong under new manage-ment; its eco-friendly counterpart in the Chilterns, Wood; the much imitated OX4, centred on Oxford’s Cowley Road; and Truck America, near the site of the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York.

“Joe and I have been playing music for 15 years in different guises, but have become better and more established as songwriters and musicians,” says Robin.

“We first went to the US in 2003. And while the East Coast reminded us of England, the West was crazy and completely different. Our tour manager was an outlandish guy called Danny, who looked like Evan Dando and had a beat-up Chevrolet van with no mirrors.

“We drove for 10 hours to the middle of New Mexico for one gig and there was no one there. But the real show was going back to people’s homes and playing through the night. We didn’t have any money for hotels, so we would ask on stage if anyone had anywhere to stay and go out with them to the desert.”

The experience inspired their song Singing Sin City — one of the album’s standout tracks.

“The album has a narrative element,” says Robin. “It is also very upbeat and people are surprised by how powerful and loud we are live. One thing we have moved away from is quiet introspective music. Our shows are fun and you should go away with a smile on your face.”

Just don’t expect Americana, he says. “We are sometimes pigeonholed as an Americana band, but I don’t think that sums it up. I grew up loving the West Coast sound, but we are very Oxford.”

Comparisons have been made to Memphis’ Big Star and Glasgow’s Teenage Fanclub, while their songwriting is reminiscent of Elvis Costello or Ray Davis.

On Saturday, the band, who take their name from the Small Faces song Itchycoo Park rather than the Matthew Arnold poem, play their first real headline show in the city since the release of the album.

“In the past we haven’t had the opportunity to tour properly, so it’s nice to now get that chance. Running something like Truck can take over your life, so it has been nice to focus on the band and remind ourselves what we are about.

“We don’t come from a showbiz family and have had to do it the hard way. But the people we looked up to when we started out now look at us on the same level, which is amazing.

“We are playing the music we like and not worrying how it’s perceived or trying to be too cool.

“And the album is building. More people are discovering it every day, and saying they love it, especially in their cars. After all, it was designed for driving and is the perfect road album.”

And he is right — whether that road is Route 66 . . . or the A34.

  • The Dreaming Spires play The Bullingdon, Oxford on Saturday.
  • Doors open at 7.30pm
  • Tickets: £8 in advance from wegottickets.com /£10 on door