Travis 'to write new album during US tour'

Travis have revealed that they will start work on their seventh studio album while touring the US.

The group, who now release material on their own label, claimed that their Stateside jaunt will help boost their creativity.

"We're gonna hopefully write the whole thing, me and Andy [Dunlop] on the bus," singer Fran Healy told Billboard.

"I like the idea of writing an album going across America. I can kind of write anywhere; mostly I tend to sit in hotel rooms and quiet places, but I've written in the loudest, noisiest places imaginable, too.

"It's like taking a sh*t; you can do it anywhere, but sometimes it's nice to do it in a nice, cozy toilet rather than in the bushes."

Travis topped the chart with The Man Who in 1999 and The Invisible Band in 2001. Their last album Ode To J Smith was released last year.

The group's US tour, entitled 'An Evening with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop: A Chronological Acoustical Journey Through the Travis Back Catalogue: Laugh Out Loud Stories, Scottish Accents, Handsome Scottish Men, Naked Torsos', kicks off on October 8.