“We tend to burn the candle at both ends because we have to get our lad to school and then there’s trying to put the new album out.”

That’s a true rock’n’roll lifestyle. It’s not like the old days.

“Not really, we haven’t changed much, we just have to package more records these days. We really do believe that, genuinely. Not much has changed, it’s still the same DIY ethic and spirit we’ve always had – two idiots trying to do our best. We can be in a band and not get proper jobs.”

And you still live in Lancaster.

“It’s alright, if you don’t live here. Actually we love it and loathe it at the same time. There’s so much we love about it but so much we’d change and so much we see happening that we dislike and we can’t do anything about it.”

If you’ve not moved far from where you were born, you tend to love and hate it at the same time.

“I agree. It’s maybe a bit like your parents.”

Living in Lancaster, have Manchester’s elastic boundaries taken you as one of their own yet?

“Pretty much. I was born in Salford so I do feel Mancunian anyway. I guess it’s the nearest biggest city to Lancaster so yeah, we’re happy to be adopted by Manchester because it’s good to have two homes, our Lancaster home and we also have Manchester. I don’t think we’re seen as a Manchester band but we are loved by Manchester people and we love the people of Manchester.

“But we also love Birmingham as well. We’ve played there many times, we love it. That’s not just a standard thing, we have very fond memories of Birmingham. There was a girl named Claire who ran a club called Attagirl and she used to put us on upstairs at the Victoria. Some of our best nights were there, the Nightingales who are friends of ours used to come down to every show. The last show was great at the Castle & Falcon. It was sold out and we had a really slow moshpit. It was like a funeral march, it was really good fun and we had a laugh.”

You must feel as though the band have been going for ever.

“Yeah, it feels a way of life. We can’t have a job, we do our own records and book our own tours and all that but we don’t really see it as a job. It’s more an extension of us and our lifestyle.”

You spoke about the DIY ethos earlier. You’ve managed to keep that.

“To be fair it’s getting harder with only two of us doing it. We probably need help but it’s hard finding it and sometimes it’s easier to do it yourself. It’s what we signed up to and what we believed in. What you lose in hard work you get back in freedom and for us to have creative freedom to do whatever we want. That’s holy to us, we value it massively.”

In 1977 punk brought doing it yourself in every aspect of music and opened the way for more women to be involved.

“I guess it did. It broadened the scope of women in bands but I guess they always have, they just never got the coverage or the stamp of approval. Punk did that but it also said it was okay to be anything and do what you like. Freedom is liberating isn’t it?”

You’re playing bigger venues on this tour.

“It’s great, it’s nice to play bigger places. I guess for a band like us it’s nice to say we’re doing it under our own steam without a major label bankrolling us. We’ve jumped up by constantly touring and building up a fanbase, which is great.”

Do you sill get people thinking you’re a novelty act?

“I’ve never hear anyone call us a novelty act. Don’t Look at Me was a song that we didn’t think it’s a novelty song, it’s based around getting beat up in Lancaster for looking different, but the message was missed. We’re always developing how we sound, our albums all sound different. We can’t control any perceptions of the band and that’s a good thing. People will think what they want and that’s alright.”

“Of course it is. We wouldn’t still be doing it if it wasn’t. It’s too much hard work. Who wouldn’t want to be in a band and having all the bills paid? We don’t have any other jos, theLovely Eggs pays our house, it pays our bills, food, everything. Who wouldn’t want that?”