Music: soundbites

Jennifer Rodger talks to Dominic Chad, guitarist with Mansun

Mansun are ready to...?

I think our ambitions are pretty much the same as they have always been - to make records as well as we possibly can, and to go with the band as long as we can.

A new album is in the making, can you give us a clue on what to expect?

It is still melodic, same as always. But as far as the sound of the band, we've gone a lot harder, more new wavy I suppose. It's all guitar based, there are no synthesizers or strings like on first album. We played around with the guitar and made them sound like other things in places. It's a lot more raw - so I wouldn't call it a lo-fi album.

What have you been up to since the amazing success of your debut album last year?

We have been touring pretty much constantly. We have done the festivals here and in Europe and supported Suede, The Seahorses, Bowie and Manic Street Preachers.

Any touring nightmares which recur in the cold light of morning?

Paul [lead singer] nearly got arrested in a hotel in Gateshead for setting off a fire alarm. He got spotted by employees and they chased him round the hotel and managed to jump on him and lock him in a room. The police arrived and Paul managed to persuade them that a load of people we didn't know had done it. He got them into a conversation about football, and they thought he was all right and let him off. We did all of the madness in the first couple of tours, and now we are a lot more sensible and professional.

And the audience will experience?

I suppose we make the shows pretty exciting. I think that's more just because we love touring, it's a favourite part of being in a band for all of us so we put a lot of energy into a gig. The more we go for it the more the audience does. Everyone is feeding off everyone else and it gets manic. Some of the times we drag them on stage and give them our instruments, and let them make a racket!

Heroes?

Bowie with the Spiders From Mars, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Magazine and The Sex Pistols.

Mansun's tour begins on Sunday at Preston University. Belfast, Limelight (9 March), Coleraine University (10 March), Worthing Pier (12 March), Folkestone, Leas Cliffe Hall (13 March), Ipswich, Corn Exchange (14 March), Newcastle University (16 March), Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom (17 March), Bradford University (18 March), Aberystwyth University (19 March), Swansea University (21 March), Hull University (22 March), Liverpool, L2 (23 March). All tickets pounds 8.50 from usual outlets.