THEY'VE been together for nearly two decades, play to sell-out stadiums in their native Canada and can boast five platinum and seven gold albums.

Yet few people will ever have hard of them in this country.

But all that is about to change with 54-40 lining up two East Lancashire dates this month as part of a UK tour.

The band -- dubbed North America's equivalent to U2 -- will be playing in Colne on Bank Holiday Monday as part of the Up For It Festival which accompanies the great British R& B event in the town.

Then on Saturday, August 30 they will be playing at Blackburn's Cellar Bar.

The band's last album -- Casual Viewin -- sold over 100,00 copies in the UK -- bought mainly by Camadian ex-pats living over here.

Their tour will help promote their new album, Goodbye Flatland, which is out on August 18 on Key Recordings.

54-40 are seen as such an important act at home that the tour is being partly supported by the Canadian High Commission which sees them as a highly marketable export.

One of 54-40's best known songs, I Go Blind, has featured on the hit TV comedy series Friends.

The two East Lancashire dates could be the last chance fans get to see the band in intimiate venues before they move on to larger concert halls.

They will be supported on both dates by Roller, a Manchester oufit who have moved to Canada and have recently started getting major acclaim, having recently played with both Bob Geldof and Mel C. Roller's new album is called Impossibly Real.