On Tour: The Wonder Stuff

Supporting Big Country on their tour in 1987 was the first time we went out and did a string of dates in a row. A friend of mine said you'll always remember your first tour as being your very best but I don't agree with that at all. Although it was good fun I always felt it has been getting better and better and I'm really looking forward to this British affair.

I've always hated the process of touring - I find it physically stressful. I always get ill but that's probably not helped by staying up late and drinking too much. The problem I have with touring is that if there are hotels involved I generally shut myself away. I then find I'm in a bad mood when I have to talk to the rest of the band again. I love it when we tour together on a bus, as we did for four weeks round Europe last November. I started keeping a journal. I've written thousands of pages just moaning. Whenever I find myself going very insular I'm just going to pull my diary out and read.

With a band like us you don't get stupid hero worship or groupies. This group seems to attract the sort of person who just wants a conversation. That said, I always go under false names, kids trying to phone the hotel or find out where we are just have to ask for the stupidest name they can think of.

We have had technical nightmares. We were in Nuremberg recently when the electric guitars went, so I thought I'll use my acoustic. That went, too, so I ended up saying 'this one's in the key of A minor and I shall now attempt to sound like my guitar'. Everyone loved it. A potential nightmare can turn into fun but generally speaking it remains a nightmare.

Miles Hunt is lead singer of The Wonder Stuff. They play Manchester Apollo Tue 8 Mar and tour to 18 Apr

(Photograph omitted)