With their razor-sharp suits, coiffured hair and expensive shoes, Johnny Scratchley and his nine-piece group look like they have stepped out of a 1930s swing band.

So it comes as some surprise to hear them burst into a big, brassy bass-heavy onslaught of the deepest dub reggae this side of the Caribbean.

This skanking 18-legged funk machine call themselves The Gentleman’s Dub Club and they are one of the funkiest – and smartest – live outfits on the scene.

“We play electronic music based on dub reggae in its feel and vibe, says Johnny, the band’s singer, while getting ready for the start of the band’s 25-date tour, at home in East London.

“The sound really comes from 70s and 80s Jamaica.

“People are surprised and interested, I suppose, because we don’t look much like a reggae band. But that’s because Jamaican sound has been less popularised than R&B, soul or funk, which come from America.

“A UK singer or band playing American-style music doesn’t seem strange whereas a group of English people singing black Jamaican music is seen as much more unusual. But both are expressing a form of music born of a different country.

Johnny and bandmates Toby Davies, Ed Thomas, Matt Roberts, Kieren Gallager, Nick Tyson, Niall Lavell, Tommy Evans and Harry Devenish are unlike anything you’ve seen before. And not just because they dress like proper chaps. Combining ska, dubstep, dub and roots, their energy and enthusiasm is contagious. And it’s a sound which has won over crowds everywhere from pokey pubs in Leeds, where they formed, all the way to the Latitude, Bestival and Glastonbury festivals.

“There are certain styles of music that have a place and don’t lose their following, and dub is one of them,” he says. “It’s amazing the amount of artists I read of who cite reggae as a massive influence. It has an enlightening effect when you listen to it, and it will continue to be big for a long time to come. A lot of people love this music, but a lot of it is old, so it’s up to artists to make new good solid reggae.”

So why combine reggae with sharp looks? The answer almost seems obvious “We just like the way it works,” he says. “We were fledgling gentlemen at the time. We were polite members of the community and wanted to juxtapose that with being in a dub club.

“We all met because we shared a common interest in going out to a particular dub night in Leeds. Our friendship was based on listening to big sound systems. The dub club took this group of boys who all studied music in different worlds – whether jazz, classical or electronic – and taught us to discover a new sound. “Dub is all about stripping tunes back and doing something different. But what underlines it all is rhythm. It is 140 beats per minute with a four-to-the-floor rhythm and a one-drop or stepping beat. But it is also mystical. It’s at the heart of almost all dance music and the forerunner to the big sound systems used in clubs everywhere and which continue to drive the industry.”

On Wednesday, the gents arrive in Oxford. The show at the O2 Academy follows support slots for the likes of The Wailers, Madness, Roots Manuva, The Streets, and Finlay Quaye. And if past performances are anything to go by, a lively time is guaranteed for all – both on and off stage.

“We have a common love for performance and for a style of music which is natural and which people react to,” says Johnny. “Our enjoyment comes from the way the crowd reacts.

“It’s good to have nine people enjoying music, but when you get 300, 500, 10,000 or 25,000 people in front of you, you get this energy that drives the people on stage.”

“We are playing 25 dates in 28 days so some mental preparation is necessary,” he laughs. “But we’ve done it a couple of times before so know it’s do-able ... if we get enough sleep.”

So does that mean early nights for the gentlemen? The notion is clearly ridiculous. “No, it just means waking up late,” he grins. “We most definitely like to party. There does seem to be a natural progression from venue to house party or club – unless the city is really miserable, in which case we stay in the van and find the quickest way to bed.

“We’ve got a nine-seater Mercedes which drives us around the place allowing us to do as much songwriting as possible along the way, as well as playing computer games and taking the mickey out of each other constantly.”

And do they ever squabble; surely they don’t behave like gentlemen all the time? “We are lucky as we get along very well,” says Johnny. “And we know we are all lucky to be here.”

THE GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB GUIDE TO STYLE

  • Be yourself: Understand what goes well for you as an individual. Know where that swagger is going to come from.
  • Shine: Whatever you do, make sure you look clean.
  • Be fragrant: Smell is incredibly important. Make sure you smell good underneath that unshaven exterior.
  • Be well-shod: Shoes are important in affecting how you can dance. It’s all well and good to look suave but if your shoes are grippy and rubbery underneath you can’t glide, while if they are too slippery you’re going to slide.
  • Make the right moves: Dance. You’ve got to look smooth but if you can’t dance it’s pointless. After all, you don’t want to lift one knee and split the back of your trousers.

The Gentleman’s Dub Club play the O2 Academy, Oxford, on Wednesday, November 21
Tickets: £11.25 from ticketweb.co.uk