REDNECK superstars Hayseed Dixie shared their love of British beer at Berkeley on Sunday - but claimed they had never heard of homegrown bumpkin band The Wurzels.

The group, who have whipped up a storm in the UK with their bluegrass-influenced take on rock classics, admitted they were none the wiser about Somerset's answer to McFly, who took to the stage before them at the Atmosphere festival in Berkeley Castle.

Lead singer John Wheeler, aka Barley Scotch, admitted: "I've never heard of them."

But when asked if they could take them in a fight, he added: "I have no idea, they look pretty big. But why would we be fighting - music ain't a competition."

The boys from Deer Lick Holler, deep in the Appalachians, have spent seven of the last 12 months touring in the UK and have been rewarded with a steadily growing army of fans.

"I love it here," added Wheeler. "One thing is the beer's really good here - I never liked lager much. In the UK you are a nation of people who drink their faces off.

"And things are a little bit closer together than they are in the US, which means you can drink a little longer before you set off for your destination. "You can see there's a common thread running through this."

True to form, he went on to extol the virtues of playing whilst three sheets to the wind.

"I don't know if you have to - I've just never tried it any other way. Would you run your car without any oil in it?"

The bands song I'm Keeping Your Poop tells the tale of a lovelorn troubadour who sports a rather unusual keepsake from his stricken relationship.

It is apparently a true story, but in the shadow of Berkeley Castle the Dixie frontman finally admitted he is ready to lay the, er, memory to rest.

"I think I might sell it - I don't need it anymore. I don't think you ever really get over stuff like that but you grow into a stronger person."

Hayseed Dixie's new album A Hot Piece of Grass is out now.