Music

1 You heard them here first
Tahita Bulmer (vocals): ‘We didn’t even have a press officer. When we heard Time Out wanted to feature us [in January 2006] we thought: Wow! We’d better get dressed up. It was really exciting but we thought it might be a bit too soon, which turned out to be the case perhaps.’

2 Not long after that they became full-time rock ’n’ rollers
‘We stopped doing dodgy temp jobs – writing copy for the websites of dodgy banks, data entry, receptionist work. We’re an old-school, proper band. We’ve paid our dues. All the great bands, they had to learn the hard knocks.’
Feature continues

3 They’re huge in Australia
‘We played to 18,000 people – at three in the afternoon! It was at the Australian V Festival in March. It’s obviously got something to do with our magnificent music, but our label, Modular, is also pretty important over there.’

4 They’ve met lots of their heroes but wish they hadn’t…
‘We’ve met loads of them but so many of them have turned out to be cocks. I met one – I’m not going to say who – at the NME Awards but he wouldn’t talk to me because I wasn’t pissed. Unlike CSS.’

5. …but James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem is a nice chap
‘He’s one of the reasons we started doing this and we met him at Wireless in Leeds. Apparently his wife Nancy really likes us – she’s got our album and everything. But James probably goes and watches football when she puts it on.’

6 They’re big supporters of PETA
‘Definitely, although none of that terrorism and extremism. Man is an animal but it doesn’t mean we should go round killing everything. We’re always getting asked by veggie websites what our favourite vegetarian dish is.’

7 They’re a bit saucy
‘We’re the newer, younger, kinkier Pony Club. It’s in the lyrics, which are all about sex, like being in a relationship you don’t want to be in, escaping, going to a club, pulling and ending up in somebody else’s bed. We are pretty kinky.’

8 They’re helping to put dance music back where it belongs
‘For too long now there’s been too much throw-away, novelty bollocks and dance music got into the same state that rock did in the ’70s – too indulgent and no fun. But we’re part of the change, bringing proper, soulful songwriting into the equation. Pop is ready for excellence again.’

9 The whole ‘nu rave’ scene is one big incestuous family
‘That NME tour we did was like a school trip. We’ve all known each for quite a while – Louise knows the Klaxons really well – so we got drunk and silly and everybody was getting off with each other. What did you expect? ’

10 They’re dead excited to be on the same bill as Blondie at the Time Out Lovebox Weekender
‘Oh god, yes! She’s a huge hero of mine. It will be a bit like performing to my mum. If she watches us, she’ll be like, “very good, but not quite as good as me back in the day”.’