BLENDING the glamour of Blondie with the kind of swirling indie anthems favoured by Pulp is a formula that's fast gaining fans for The Hot Puppies.

This exuberant Cardiff based outfit are clearly a cut above the pack when it comes to their influences.

As their wry-humoured guitarist Luke Taylor explained, their name has nothing to do with over-heated four-legged friends, rather it relates to a dark poem - Hymns of Hate from American satirical writer Dorothy Parker.

"It just reminded me of what we were about - people who go out and try and make themselves glamorous despite their environment. As we get older the name could take on a new meaning, like a woman sitting in the corner of a bar wearing the latest skirts and doesn’t realise she is too old for them," he laughed.

There’s plenty for him to feel chipper about with the group signed to leading independent label Fierce Panda, who have given them creative freedom.

Their debut album Under the Crooked Moon has received great acclaim by national media. The NME went as far to describe the record as being "as fantastic as waking up in a sea of Oreo cookies with no option but to eat your way to safety".

To their credit, the Puppies have just emerged relatively unscathed from a radio session with Johnathan Ross, who chastised them for "not being Welsh enough", but it seems he enjoyed their lyrically quirky sound.

So too are many around the country on their tours with alternative rock acts including Art Brut, The Chalets and The Crimea.

Though they are gradually gaining acceptance in their recently adopted home in Cardiff, it’s hard to forget their Aberystwyth roots. But how did they get together?

"Myself and Ben (bassist) were just local sickos really, and the girls (lead singer Bec Newman and keyboard player Beth Gibson) were studying at Aberystwyth University. We started going out with them and it was like, 'oh, you sing as well', which was good as there are not many people to form a band with there. I suppose we are a bit like the Mamas and Papas really!"

Being a band of couples, he said they have to avoid too many arguments as it would have to much impact on their lives outside of work.

As Luke admitted, they’re happy in the slightly surreal world they have created for themselves and if people are drawn to them then that’s a bonus.

Though the studio offers its challenges they are in their element when playing live. "We haven’t played in Kent before so it will be good to come down for the Electric Gardens festival. We’ll bring some melodrama and rock and roll to proceedings."

The Electric Gardens Festival runs between Saturday, August 5 and Sunday August 6 at Mount Ephraim near Canterbury.

The Hot Puppies play on the Sunday event which is headlined by The Charlatans and Audio Bullys on Saturday. Tickets are from £25 per day. Box office 01227 787787 or see www.electricgardensfestival.com.