Third album from kilted Nimmo's King King

At one recent gig by the Glasgow-based blues rockers, the charismatic singer and guitarist embarked on a long guitar solo, and at one section gradually reduced the volume to the point where there was almost no amplification. According to the Metal Discovery website, one fan spoilt the mood by yelling, "Get on with it, you're supposed to be rocking the joint!" He was for his pains roundly abused by the rest of the crowd.

That fan aside, King King - Nimmo, bassist Lindsay Coulson, organist Bob Fridzema and drummer Wayne Proctor - have been attracting positive reviews on this tour, which comes ahead of the May 5 release of their third studio album, Reaching for the Light. The band's reputation is also high thanks to the multiple awards they received at the 2014 British Blues Awards.

Nimmo, who with his brother Stevie barnstormed around Europe in the Nimmo Brothers, had set himself the far-from-easy challenge of topping the well-received second album, Standing in the Shadows, released two years ago this month.

"This tour is the new outing for the new songs," he says. "We finished touring last December and were in the studio over Christmas finishing it off. It's all been a bit crazy and hectic."

How did they find the time? "You have to make the time. There's a whole load of administration work; we take care of the business side, along with the management, but you have to say, 'Right, I've got to do this', even if it's just a couple of hours in the morning before you go anywhere.

"It's a thing about songwriting, especially for me, I can't speak for others, but things come to me when they want to come. So I'll be driving the van across Germany somewhere and some idea will come into my head." He laughs. "I'll say, 'get a phone out and record this', and I'll start singing into a machine."

The band members all had their input into the new album, reflecting their personal influences, from Genesis to Janis Joplin. Reaching for the Light, which is launched at Camden's Jazz Cafe on May 6, accordingly has a wide palette, with a gospel-inflected song, some funk, and, of course, lots of blues.

"That was the idea, to try to get a bit of variation in there," says Nimmo. "It's all about the influences I gew up listening to, and that kind of determines how the songwriting comes. I don't specifically set out to write a certain type of song; I just write what comes. I'm glad that that kind of influence from the bands I've been listening to all my life, like Free [one track, Rush Hour, reminds you of those 70s icons], Bad Company, early Whitesnake, Thunder, along with all the blues greats - Peter Green, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton - I'm glad to see it all coming out. I feel as if I'm more settled in terms of how confident I am with the songwriting, for those influences to actually come out ... If you don't have your own belief in your own work, then how do you expect anyone else to feel the same?"

The subject matter often reflects the personal, too. Nimmo wrote the lyrics to You Stopped the Rain, an album highlight, "when my brother had cancer of the throat a few years back, and had to have an operation. The worry that came with that for everyone was distressing."

I mention that I remember seeing the Nimmos at Glasgow's State Bar, years ago. They were rather good, live, as are King King. "We've always prided ourselves on being a good live band. I often talk in interviews about keeping the standard up for younger bands that are coming up.

"The blues scene is a bit of a niche market these days and we're trying to get the younger musicians involved in it, but only if they keep that standard up and stay true to the essence of blues. I'm not interested in being the 'blues police' and saying if you're in a blues band you have to play 12-bar or whatever. That means nothing to me: it's all in the feel, the essence, the passion and honesty of it all. As long as they keep that up, then I'm happy."

King King face an "exceptionally busy year", with European dates both before and after the album launch. "We get a lot of demand for a live album but we wanted to get at least the third studio album out of the way first.

"It's all stepping-stones to raising your profile. The first album was a glimpse of what was to come. The second was us finding our feet in terms of finding a King King sound. And then you have that all-important third album, where you're trying to step it up a level and appeal to more of the mainstream along with, of course, your loyal blues fans.

"Doing all that means you've got to put the work in and make the album count. So when the fans are asking for a live album, you've got to let them down gently and say: 'Not yet, but it's coming. Give us a chance to build this first!'"

* King King play Glasgow O2 ABC on March 21 and Aberdeen Lemon Tree on March 22. Reaching for the Light will be released on Manhaton Records. www.kingkingblues.com