Alex Beckett talks to Ocean Colour Scene lead singer Simon Fowler about a near-death experience, the World Cup song and the ukelele!

How is the new album different to the songs you are most well known for, like Riverboat Song and Day we Caught The Train?

"Well it's a live album, that we recorded in Birmingham in one night. There's only four new songs on the album. The others are largely songs that we don't normally play live. We wanted to do something different. We didn't want to go and do all the hits. We got a guy called John McCusker, who's a fiddle player and John McGoldrick who plays flutes and pipes, and also Carleen Anderson from The Young Disciples to do some singing on it. And we did that in a studio and a couple of weeks later and then just mixed it. So it's live apart from those little additions."

Would you say there was a more folky feel about the music?

"A little bit. There's a traditional folk feeling on some of them, but it sounds pretty much like Ocean Colour Scene and then Carleen brings a soul element to it. All together on an acoustic album!"

What's your favourite track on the new album?

"My favourite track is one of the new ones which is called Matilda's England. It's the name of a William Trevor short story. This song is deep folk, real finger in the ear stuff. But strangely, the lyrics came out of a very bizarre experience I had about 18 months ago where I was nearly murdered in Richmond Park. Someone was murdered fifteen minutes earlier and the guy who killed him walked up to me. And when he walked past me he said to me "Stay lucky." I have no doubt that what he meant was that I was lucky because he chose the other guy and not me. And it's very strange because it haunts me and I feel guilty about it because someone was killed."

Former Rolling Stones producer, Jimmy Miller, taught you a few hell-raising ideas in the band's early career. How has life changed now?

"It's not quite so hectic! The record label sacked Jimmy. He taught us how to drink, than how to be a band. We had far too good a time to be arsed about making records."

I thought OCS would be perfect to record the new football song for the World Cup. Were you approached?

"Funnily enough I've already done that with Ian McCullough, Tommy from Space and the Spice Girls (for the 1998 World Cup)! We did a video altogether, we did a Top of the Pops and TFI together. It was great but noone wanted that one as the World Cup song, everyone kept on singing Three Lions."

You're not tempted this time then?

"I don't think they'd ask us. Strange choice Embrace though isn't it? They always remind me of Oasis with Noel singing."

How have you guys managed to stay together so long?

"I think it is probably because at the beginning, it was Steve's dad who managed us, so there was a nice family feeling. And then we had these bursts of promised success and then we were on the dole for four years and in the studio everyday learning to make records. We went out on the town together and had a great time. The joke in Mosley was what's green and gets you high? A giro! We lived like that. Then suddenly we were catapaulted to success and we were pulling in the same direction."

How do you get that amazing, soulful singing voice? Cigars and scotch?!

"Ha ha! I've no idea! I learnt to sing with my dad, as a child. My dad's quite a decent singer. He has an operetta kind of style, the old 1930s kind of voice. Like Mario Lanza. I used to sing with him when I got my first guitar at the age of nine. We used to go through the music books with my brother Nicolas."

Do you want to learn to play any other instruments?

"I can't play keyboard instruments. Steve bought me a piano years ago and expects me to learn how to play but of course I've done nothing with it. I can play the dulcimer actually! It's an Appalachian lap instrument. I can play the mandolin and banjo and I used to play the ukelele! What a horrible instrument that is!"

Have you got time for a holiday this summer?

"I've got a really busy period coming up. I'm writing and then we're recording another album which I am meant to be writing. And I'm moving house at the minute so a holiday is out of the question. I might just have my holiday in Poole when we play at the Lighthouse. Actually that day is my birthday!"

Ocean Colour Scene bring their acoustic tour to the Lighthouse in Poole on Thursday (May 25). Tickets, priced £20, from 08700 668701.