The Isle of Wight Festival begins tomorrow with Counting Crows taking to the stage on Sunday...

EVEN if you can't name one Counting Crows song, chances are you know what at least one of them looks like.

Lead singer Adam Duritz's Medusa-like dreadlocks give him one of the most recognisable barnets in the music business.

But although Adam's distinct look isn't to everyone's taste, it doesn't seem to have done him any harm - he's been romantically linked to Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox and Samantha Mathis to name a few.

And the man himself seems to find the fuss that people made about his appearance a little bizarre, saying "my personal appearance and hair aren't of anyone's concern".

It's a fair point - after all, the band haven't been slogging their guts out in the music business for the last decade just to have one of their number's hair talked about.

The band first entered the UK charts in 1994 with the catchy Mr Jones. More recently they have enjoyed chart success with a cover of Big Yellow Taxi.

Best known for angst-ridden and vivid music, the Counting Crows have recently been touring the United Kingdom following last summer's release of the band's latest album, Hard Candy, and are among the line-up at this weekend's Isle of Wight Festival, alongside Paul Weller, Bryan Adams, Starsailor and Iggy Pop.

Dave Immergluck, a multi-instrumentalist in the band, promises a great show.

Critics have hailed the Hard Candy album for its lyrics and its emphasis on melody and tunes. Following the 1999 release of Desert Life, Hard Candy took a while in the making.

"I wanted to make a totally different kind of record this time," says Adam. "I had this conversation about music with Paul McCartney at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, and I came away thinking that I want to concentrate on melody. For the new album I really wanted songs that you can't get out of your head, not just mood pieces."

The band focused particularly hard on finding the perfect string part and other elements to create unbeatable grooves.

The results are crisp performances and compelling lyrics, conveyed in the eloquence that has become Duritz's trademark.

After recording their album tracks, the band relaxed for a few days and focused on cover tunes. "We did everything from Sparklehorse and Teenage Fanclub to Townes Van Zant," says Dave. The most interesting of these, a take on Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi, made it onto the back end of the album, as a collaboration with Vanessa Carlton.

The band have bid a sad farewell to drummer Ben Mize. Mize, who has been replaced by Jim Bogios, left the band late last year because he had grown tired of touring.

"We've known about Ben's leaving for some time," says Dave, "so even though it's like amputating a family member, we've been dealing with it."

Fans need not worry though. Jim, the new drummer, was stolen from Sheryl Crow, and Dave has a great deal of faith in his abilities. "I've been playing with him in various outfits for over ten years now, so it feels like home. I think he's going to add a lot."

Counting Crows are appearing at the Isle of Wight Festival in Seaclose Park, Newport, on Sunday. For tickets and more information, call 08705 321321 or normal ticket outlets.