It may have been a fantastic year for The Charlatans but it follows one of the bleakest periods in the band's history.

The West Midlands band's twelfth studio album, Modern Nature, has been one of the best received of their 26 year career, praised by critics and fans alike and tour dates now beckon.

However, the album was written as the band tried to come to terms with the untimely death of drummer and founder member Jon Brookes, who lost his battle against cancer in August 2013, aged just 44.

Frontman Tim Burgess said: "We recorded the new album not long after Jon died. We'd just played a gig at The Royal Albert Hall celebrating his life and then we went into the studio.

"Jon was ill for a while after collapsing on stage in the middle of a US tour so it was among the darkest times we'd known as a band.

"At around the same time my son was born so there was sadness mixed with elation. Those two events were both a huge inspiration for the songs on the album."

Brookes was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 after he collapsed during a gig in America.

Burgess says the band, who have set up a fund in memory of Brookes, did not know he was ill before his onstage collapse and are still trying personally and creatively to come to terms with his death.

He said: "Jon's death hit us really hard. The first we knew about him being unwell was in the middle of a gig in America when he collapsed onto his drum kit, a long battle and three years later we lost him. He was a strong guy, his job was hitting drums.

"I think any group of five people losing someone, the dynamic becomes different. Creatively we've had to find a way of working without him and the drummers we have used aren't involved so much in the witting process."

However, the band, who first rose to prominence during the Britpop era, wanted to ensure that Jon was on their new album, including his final composition, Walk With Me, on a version of its tracklist.

Burgess said: "That was the last song that Jon wrote and recorded, it's on a version of the album. We were playing it after the gigs on the last run of dates so it was what people were listening to as they left the venues."

Burgess says he is delighted with how the album has turned out and the reception it's received.

However, he makes it clear that the band are not desperate to fit into any genre and are quite happy doing their own thing.

He said: "We've been happy with every album we've recorded and some have been better received than others. The musical landscape kind of changes and Some Friendly (the band's debut album) came out when there was a bit of a 'baggy' scene but you aren't really aware of what's going to happen between recording it and releasing it. Some people count us as Britpop but we were just doing our thing as we'd done for five years before and carried on for 20 years after. It happened to fit into a zeitgeisty thing at the time."

The band are now in middle of touring the new album and will play Edinburgh's Usher Hall on Sunday, December 13.

The show features support from Frankie and the Heartstrings but don't expect any festive touches.

Burgess said: "Expect a big night of big songs, singalongs and all sorts of things. Just maybe don't expect a Christmas song, not that we're grinches, it's just we've got enough of our own."

The gig also promises fans something a bit different, with Scots crime writer Ian Rankin DJing as the band's support act.

Burgess said: "I always meet up with Ian if he's in town whenever I come to Edinburgh. He's a big music fan and we share pretty good taste in what we listen to, we both think we do anyway. So I asked him if he would DJ and he said yes."

The band may be performing at the Usher Hall but Burgess says he has a particular soft spot for one of Glasgow's most iconic venues.

He added: "It might sound predictable but Barrowlands is hard to beat, even when compared to anywhere in the world. Some gigs can seem quieter if you play on a Monday but it's Saturday every day of the week in there.

"Scotland was the first place to really embrace the Charlatans and right from he outset the gigs have always been a highlight of any tour. I think Scottish audiences like a singalong more than any other, regardless of whether you've finished playing the song or not."

The band has now set it sights on recording their next album next year, with Burgess promising the follow-up to his debut novel Telling Stories will also be released in 2016.

Burgess said: "We'll be going back in the studio in the new year and I'm thinking we'll probably be playing some festivals in the summer. I'm just finishing a new book that'll be out next year too. Telling Stories came out a couple of years ago and it went down pretty well so Tim Book Two is on its way."

The Charlatans will be the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on Sunday, December 13.