IT’S been a pretty good couple of weeks for John Osborne one half of American country sensations Brothers Osborne.

Last week he and brother TJ were named best vocal duo for a third consecutive year at the annual CMA Awards - country’s version of the Oscars. And now they are about to embark on a UK tour including a date in Manchester.

“At the CMAs competition is fierce,” he said. “The awards are voted on by all the people we love and admire and respect so their opinion means a lot to us.”

Brothers Osborne are one of the rising stars of country having released their second album Port Saint Joe earlier this year. Combining TJ’s gravelly baritone with John’s incendiary guitar work they produce a unique sound which although country to the core has also cast a spell over rock lovers.

And nowhere more so than in the UK.

“We had no idea what crowds in the UK would be like until we played C2C (the largest country music festival in the UK) in 2017,” he said. “After the first song we knew immediately that we wanted to keep coming back for the rest of our lives. It was some of the most fun that we’ve ever had.

“My wife is British (John’s married to singer Lucie Silvas) so I feel as though I am an honorary Brit. But we feel so excited to be coming back again. The crowds are so much fun.

“It is different. Why I don’t know, but it seems like the fans in the UK when they like an artist they want to consume everything about the artist. They want to know all the songs, all the B-sides, all the back catalogue stuff. They immerse themselves into it. So when we play in the UK we can play songs we don’t even play in the States and people will sing every word to the song.

“I always make a joke that the UK audience listens like a sober crowd and responds like a drunk crowd, it’s the best of both worlds.”

Brothers Osborne got a real taste of that this summer on their first headline tour which sold out every venue they played. They also toured alongside The Cadillac Three at the back end of 2017.

“We’re growing faster in the UK than we did in the States which is a surprise considering we were touring in the States for a long time and we’re from there,” he said. “I’m not sure what it is but there seems to be something resonating over there and we love it.”

Part of the band’s appeal could be down to their influences.

“We love country music and we grew up playing it,” said John. “But but I also grew up with the Stones and Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. I think those influences have naturally made their way into our music.”

Brothers in bands haven’t always had the greatest relationship but John and TJ seem remarkably at ease with each other.

“We have our moments as brothers but we’re not the Gallaghers,” laughed John. “Actually there is an unspoken understanding between the two of us. We can get a lot done with saying very little. There’s this subconscious conversation that we are always having and it is a really special experience you couldn’t get with anyone else.”

Although John and TJ front the band, their regular musicians are an integral part of their success.

“One of the things that does make our band sound different is that we allow our band to play,” he said. “Everybody approaches chords and melody differently and I think that its important that we sound like us and we let the band do their thing.”

Asked to explain the band’s appeal John said: “You know what you are going to get. We are not trying to impress anyone or to get one over on anyone and we treat our music the same way.

“We want you guys to know that we’re just being ourselves. If you don’t like it, that’s great, we’ll probably not like you,” he laughed. “But if you do then come on out to a show, you’ll love it.”

Brothers Osbourne, Manchester Academy, Wednesday, November 28. Details from www.livenation.co.uk