THEY met after performing Shakespeare together and now Canadian music duo April Moon have made the north west their home after falling in love with the UK.

Former thespians Jaime April and Jason Moon started playing music at cast parties and after getting paid to do gigs they realised they could do better as musicians than actors.

Then after visits to the north west with their former band, Magic Trees, the pair were convinced they wanting to stay.

Jason, who is from a city called Prince Albert, said: "I always felt more at home in this country than in Canada and planned to eventually move here for good.

"When Jaime and I decided to make the big move, we chose Southport because I had spent a few weeks here as a teenager and absolutely fell in love with the place.

"It only took Jaime a few days of being here before she had written a song about the place and about how it felt like home."

April Moon will be playing at the Rodney in Winwick Road on Saturday.

Jason, who composed the soundtrack for the Canadian short film Mohawk Midnight Runners, added: "We are constantly inspired by the talent we see everywhere in this corner of the world.

"We came to the north west to write and record the songs for our album, The Sun, the Moon, and the Truth, because we knew that the influences of this area would rub off on us and inspire a different sound.

"A hybrid of our Canadian folk style and a kind of Merseybeat/Madchester/blues mix that comes across quite clearly in our live performances of the album tracks."

April Moon's pub shows also see them take on a number of cover songs...but with a difference.

"We usually drastically change the arrangements of the covers to make them our own," said Jason.

"There's a fast funk version of Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics, a ska version of Message in a Bottle by the Police, and of course plenty of mash-ups."

Jason told Weekend that travelling and seeing new places and people gives him the biggest kick out of being in band.

He added: "Not only do we get to pick where we live, but when it's time to write songs for a new project we can pick a sunny destination to spend a few weeks jamming and acting silly to get the creative juices flowing.

"Admittedly we have to live a pretty low key lifestyle and try to stretch our money as far as it will go, but we both made a clear decision years ago to choose this life over one focused on material things.

"No televisions, luxury cars and fancy restaurants. We have to work hard to make ends meet, sometimes playing six or seven gigs in a week.

"But the pay off is that we are doing what we love, and even though we are constantly busy it honestly feels like being on a never ending holiday that never ceases being fun."

- April Moon play at the Rodney in Winwick Road on Saturday at 9:30pm. Admission is free.

DAVID MORGAN