How’s it been getting back out on tour after such a long break? Any arguments yet?
Tim: Not really because there are lots of people around us. It’s been a long time since we’ve been really properly on tour, so we can’t really remember that proper cabin fever feeling.
Charlotte: Your body completely adapts to the schedule, really. You find that when you do tiny tours you end up getting fucked up, but when you’re on the road for five weeks you seem to always get through the tiredness. There’s always ways to get around it.
Tim: You’re running on adrenaline the whole time.
Charlotte: And when you get back of tour, that’s when you get the second feeling.
Tim: That’s when it all catches up with you
Rick: By the forth week you think your superhuman and nothing’s going to destroy you, even though you’re trying to every night.
What have you noticed that’s different about touring compared to the early days?
Tim: Everything. We’re older, we’re not wiser. We can play our instruments.
What are the best memories you have of touring?
Tim: I think the Big Day Out tour was great because it was three weeks long but you only do two gigs a week, so the rest of the time you’re sitting around on the beach.
Rick: It’s in January so it’s the summer over there.
Tim: It’s like having two summers in one year. You feel really smug! It’s great.
Rick: The people are really cool, and the weird thing about it is that Neighbours, and Home and Away are the quality TV over there because everyone’s spending so much time outdoors, so the TV’s just crap.
Tim: And there all called Bruce.
Even the women?
Tim: No, they’re called Shelia.
Remember the bottle-throwing reception you got when you headlined last year’s Lost Weekend festival after Nine Inch Nails pulled out?
Mark: We’re you there? It was quite hostile.
Tim: It was a tough gig to deal with.
Rick: You can’t imagine how much we didn’t want to go on stage. We don’t pull gigs for in-growing toe nails or earache or anything like that.
Any festivals this year?
Tim: I think we’re doing about 44 this year.
What do you like about them?
Rick: The parties afterwards! I like all the ligging afterwards. Once you’ve got the show on the road everyone’s had a few drinks and you bump into all the other bands.
Tim: The backstage community. It’s a good chance to see lots of other bands as well.
What are you’re plans now?
Tim: Just to take the piss on tour really.