"My exams went ok, it wasn't a fun part of my life but I think it was worth it for the feeling when it's all over. We're on tour when we get our results so if they're really bad we can just drink all the free beer, play a gig and smash up our guitars!

I don't have any regrets about taking time out from the band to finish school. I know people in bands aren't supposed to be sensible but even if you're really successful in music, sustaining that for the rest of your life is almost impossible.

We've all got offers for university, just in case someone f**ks us over, which a lot of people do in the music industry. Whatever I do, I'll do something interesting with my life. I don't want to be a failure.

I think we now have enough songs for an album. I was still writing while I was studying. We're gonna start recording in a few months. I like the way it's been going, there's no pressure.

I still feel like I'm at school but I think that's about to change. All our friends are about to disappear and we're about to become a band with no free time. It's all about to drastically change. We've definitely changed musically too. We started off with quite simple songs that were catchy and radio friendly and happy, but I've forgotten how to write that kind of song. They're all getting a bit strange. And I've stopped listening to any of the kind of music you'd associate with Bombay Bicycle Club.
I've been listening to loads of old English folk, old American folk, Bert Jansch, The Carter Family... I think that even if everything fails with the band I could just carry on with my acoustic guitar, that's the kind of music I really love.

But the new record doesn't sound like that. I'm hoping it's gonna be interesting. I don't want it to be like a lot of bands have done recently, where they've got a really good single out, so you buy their album and you realise they've spent all their energy on the single, and the album's pretty average. So I want to focus on making every song as good as the last.

I can't think of anyone current that I like. When I switch on the radio there's usually some really bad song and you wonder how it got there. That song 'She's So Lovely'... I don't understand! I think it's so easy now. You put a catchy song on your MySpace and suddenly there's A&R men rushing to sign you. Suddenly you're famous, then you write a terrible album and you're forgotten about. That seems to happen to a lot of bands.


We might have had that attention but our manager made sure they stayed away, which I thought was very helpful. We've been kind of underground for a long time, which is frustrating in some ways, but I think we've got the best situation to be in."

Find out more at www.myspace.com/bombaybicycleclub