IF this weather continues there's a fair chance that Turin Brakes' biggest hit Pain Killer (Summer Rain) could be extremely apt at the Lyme Regis Folk Festival.

But Ollie Knights of the band says a return trip to Dorset to play at the festival for the second time will be a pleasure whatever the weather.

Chirpy Ollie, who has just bid his children farewell as they set off for a day trip to Bridport, tells me the festival is a firm favourite with the band.

"We came two years ago for the festival and turned it into a bit of a mini holiday for ourselves in Lyme Regis, we took a few friends and we went down to the beach to hang out.

"This time we're going to be bringing the kids."

I mention to Ollie that he might like to take his children fossil-hunting while he's here.

"That's very interesting," he enthuses.

"I was talking to a geologist the other day at a barbecue and he was saying how good the fossil hunting is there.

"I think I would much prefer the girls to be geologists than musicians!"

Fifteen years ago life was crazy for Olly and his bandmate Gale Paridjanian.

The two childhood friends experienced mainstream success in the early part of this century, with Turin Brakes enjoying a top five hit with Painkiller and their second album Ether Song reaching number four in the UK Albums Chart.

Since those days the duo has become a foursome, with Rob Allum and Eddy Myer now joining the band on stage.

No longer part of a large record label, Turin Brakes are in the midst of arranging a new record deal for the release of their new album, their seventh, and handle all their own publicity and appearances.

Is this kind of lower profile a preferable existence? I ask.

"There's positives and minuses to the whole thing," Ollie says.

"We're now very in control of what we do.

"It would be a thrill to pop back up on the radar to a wider audience, even for five minutes, I'm not going to lie.

"But now we have the chance to be much more sporadic and individual.

"I think the way the music industry is now is great for music fans, you can pick out what you want and you don't have to spend £14 on a CD to find out you don't like a band."

The band's seventh album should be released early next year and recent times and experiences have been crucial to the band's current sound, Ollie says.

"The last few years have been really good.

"The band members have galvanised together and it's a very well oiled machine.

"The processes have been refined and there's better understanding.

"We Were Here, our sixth album, was the first album we made as a refreshed band and this next album is the next stage, it's a progression.

"It's a little bit less retro."

Ollie has recorded material as a solo artist, but is so busy working with the band and co-writing for others that it is hard to foresee a return to it, he says.

"It bugs me constantly as I really want to develop that a bit more.

"We do so much co-writing with other artists, I'm really waiting for the penny to drop and for me to realise how much I miss it so I can do it again.

"The stuff has only been a tiny release on our little label but people really seem to have enjoyed it and they've come up to talk to me about it. It's lovely."

Surprisingly Ollie has written for pop acts like Mel C and Take That.

"We've also been working with some up and coming artists.

"It's very to see them at the beginning of their career - we learn so much from them and we've come up with some new ways of working as a result."

Another entry on Ollie's to-do list is film scores. He attended film school and has ambition to work in the industry.

"Making films was my first love and it has always affected me as a songwriter.

"I have always kept a bit of a toe in the water with it, and my wife is a film maker.

"It's something I would love to get back into."

But rest assured for fans of Turin Brakes, the band have no plans to wind things up yet.

Ollie said: "Things were much more fractious at the beginning when we were younger and had no experience to rely on.

"It's been great having Rob and Eddy joining us in the band and you have to give them their dues, they've been involved since 2001.

"It's brilliant having them all there, they're like the buffer zones to bounce ideas off."

And for those planning on seeing Turin Brakes in Lyme, there will still be a lot of the older material that first brought the band to public attention, Ollie says.

"We don't mess about, we give them what they want - a selection of greatest hits over the years and a smattering of new stuff.

"We make sure each show has a separate identity and takes on a different musical feeling without being completely rigid."

*Turin Brakes will be performing at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis on Friday August 21 as part of the Lyme Folk Weekend. See lymefolk.com for ticket information.