hat's the best thing about being in a band?

"Playing music I guess - being able to do it not so much as a hobby but as a full-time thing: being able to devote your time to it. I've always liked playing music. I started when I was 13 or 14.

"I started playing piano. I'm one of the only people in the band who played for any amount of time before the band started.

"I don't play piano anymore. I started playing guitar and it was a lot more enjoyable and I didn't really go back. Piano is quite a hard instrument to play. You need a piano and they're rather big, they don't fit in small flats so I knocked it on the head."

What's been the best gig you've played?

"My personal favourite one was at the Old Blue Last, a pub in Shoreditch, a few months ago. It was completely rammed - it was an amazing gig.

"The stage quickly broke down and we were in the audience and the audience was on the stage. After we played they had to close the place down for two months because we broke the floor. It was on the first floor and there were so many people up there and everything was going so crazy that the ceiling broke downstairs that they had to completely redo it."

What do you have on your rider?

"Due to our position our rider is very small at the moment. It involves some sandwiches, some drinks actually it involves a really strange concoction of things.

"Once when we went to Italy we were allowed a rider so we asked for some local meats and now wherever we go we receive local meat. We don't have any pictures of random people etc yet. On the NME tour we're having four pints of virgins' blood every time we play, set up by the side of the stage and another four pints for when we come off. The virgins have to be French - that's the only request."

Do you get recognised in the street?

"I don't, no. I got recognised once the other day for the first time but that was in a club and around people who might recognise me. I wouldn't like to be recognised. It's not something I want at all - it seems too scary."

You were at college and studying at the same time. Was that difficult?

"I stood out in my class anyway because I did physics and was the only person who looked like me I guess. It was mainly a struggle with work because I'd be playing a gig and doing an exam in the morning then coming from that exam and doing another gig.

"I had to almost knock college on the head. I can't imagine any of my classmates caring about me being in a band though. They were all physics students - they didn't care about things like that."

You recently finished recording your new album. What can fans expect from it?

"It is probably stuff that is unexpected. There are songs on there that have more of an industrial feel. There's an instrumental on there, there are songs that are spoken word - they're not typical Horrors songs.

"I think it shows that given the time we can expand a lot more. It's not a departure but it shows more sides of the band on the album."

What is the best aspect of your personality?

"I guess you'd have to ask somebody else. If you devote a lot of time to something, people who benefit from that think that's a great thing about your personality but your loved ones may think it's the worst aspect of your personality because it stops you being with them."

The Automatic, who are also on the NME tour, say they have had a little falling out with you. What's that about?

"I've never met The Automatic. I heard they don't like us and think we're not good which is fine. When you're talking about bands I'd rather talk about the great bands I know who don't have enough press and need it, like the Xerox Teens rather than how bad another band are because that's pointless. Whenever I read band interviews when I was younger I'd always look at what bands they liked so I could find out more about other bands. Other good new bands are These New Puritans and HTRK. I'm really looking forward to seeing them hopefully this year."

Do you have any phobias?

"None that I can think of - not any life-affecting ones. I don't like the thought of having my toenails pulled off - like literally ripped off. That really makes me cringe but I think it does most people. I've got a memory of seeing it somewhere on telly when I was young and it really creeped me out. It really stuck with me - I don't know why."

The Horrors join The Automatic, The View and Mumm-Ra on the NME Indie Rock tour at Southampton Guildhall tonight. Tickets are sold out but returns may be available. Box office: 023 8063 2601.