Just a few nights into their European tour, the wet and cloudy surroundings of Glasgow may not be the ideal stop for some of the biggest names in music.

But for emo pioneers Death Cab for Cutie, the city’s “grey and broody” backdrop feels just like home, providing the perfect stage for their latest run of melancholic performances.

Formed in the damp surrounding of Washington in America’s Pacific northwest, Death Cab for Cutie are the brainchild of lead singer Ben Gibbard.

Alongside the frontman, only one other member has survived an ever-successful career spanning 22 years, nine studio albums and numerous Grammy nominations.

Now into their 40s and with families and commitments at home, it would be forgiveable for the five-piece to feel the need to put the brakes on.

But through all of that, the band see no sign of themselves slowing down as they look set to launch themselves on yet another tour, landing in Glasgow’s O2 Academy next Saturday.

Bassist and original member Nick Harmer said: “We are very excited right now. At this point it feels like a tradition to be in Europe at this time of year.

“At the moment it is a lot of practising and trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible.

“Right now we are looking forward to Europe and how it will all go.

“We are already talking about LP 10 and how we will approach that.

“We never really stop though, there is always something to think about.

“I certainly don’t see any signs of us slowing down.”

Through several tour stops over the years, Nick has become familiar with Glasgow, despite most of those trips being whistle-stop tours.

With little more than an afternoon to kill, it often becomes about seeing as much as the band can - tourist spots and the best coffee the city can offer.

Nick added: “As somebody who grew up in the Pacific North west in the US my favourite days are grey and broody, so i have a great feeling about coming to Glasgow.

“It’s sad, I’ve never been here to travel or as a tourist, it has always been on band time. Usually we just get 24 hours and we’re done and leave the same night.

“So anything we get to do is normally limited to the afternoon, we just love wandering.

“European cities are so interesting. I live in such a ‘young city and to have a look around somewhere like Glasgow which has been around for so long is amazing, it’s a fascinating place.

“On the day of the show look out for us looking around for good coffee. It would be great if someone could tweet us some good coffee spots. Coffee is very important to us.

“But more importantly we are just really excited to get there are see you all.”

Having grown that little bit older, many of the fans in Glasgow next week will be ones who have stuck with the band through thick and thin.

But alongside them will stand a new generation of Death Cab fanatics, as excited to see Gibbard and co as anyone back in the late 1990s.

According to the band’s bassist, rookies in the ranks can expect a real display of their back catalogue.

Nick added: “Normally for us it is playing five or six from a new album. Ben (Gibbard) even keeps a spreadsheet of all our songs in every setlist.

“He will bring up last time’s shows in Glasgow so there are not too many repeats. Obviously for some of our bigger songs we will play, but we always like to have a few gems or curveballs in there.

“The reaction to the new album - Thank you for Today - has been great. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback and we think it is one of our best works. It really holds up and we are proud of it, it’s dynamic and will be exciting live.

“We’re not the band who play the same set every night. We always try and tailor our show to every city that we go to.

“We always seem to continue to attract news fans, but it has been nice to see people grow old with us.

“For us it is just about making music we love, are excited about and is emotionally resonant.”