The band's release of their second album White Magic For Lovers was somewhat overshadowed by the remarkable success of the first single to be lifted from it, El President, which featured the amazing guest vocals of none other than Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

Now that people have discovered that the band aren't only about that track, they're also being turned onto the strains of the next single Sober, which is already getting some decent airplay.

Already organised to talk to Daron Robinson, guitarist & co-vocalist for the band, who also writes some of the band's material. At the very last minute & after 2 attempts to set up an interview, the person I actually spoke to was the band's drummer Mike Chylinski, who turned out to be a very nice guy, expressing afterwards, an interest in coming to Australia. We spoke at length about various aspects of making this album & touring, as well as the impact the Internet is having on music in general.

Having already established that the band have a pretty decent following in Australia, Mike was surprised to learn that the second single is also getting quite an amount of airplay.

"That's great. I honestly can't say I'm surprised, because after the response we've gotten from radio here, nothing surprises me at all anymore, though I'm extremely glad to get any exposure for our music & we're happy that people like it."

With the subject of airplay, I asked what sort of airplay the band have had in their own country, the UK.

"Well, a lot of radio got onto El President, mainly because of the connection with Thom Yorke, but Radio 1 probably only played it maybe 4 or 5 times a week at it's most popular, when they've played other songs from other bands maybe 20 times a week."

Mike having mentioned Thom Yorke was an ideal time to find out what srt of guy he really is.

"Thom's a really wonderful & easy going sort of guy & I feel very priveliged to have worked with him. I think he has about the best voice around out of any band at the moment, really a stand out. There were a couple of times when he did become a little difficult to work with, like when things weren't going quite right, but I really think that's because he's such a perfectionist. We've toured with Radiohead before & that's sort of how he came to be involved in that song. We had to get him to come back & redo the vocal, because it turned out to be in the wrong key & he didn't mind at all."

With touring brought up, Mike also spoke about the band's experiences in various contries after I mentioned another interview I'd done where that person had spoken about crowd sizes.

"We've had a lot of great tours & we're fortunate to be able to play a lot in London, though we feel a lot more comfortable & that the crowd's seem to appreciate you more when you're in a venue that doesn't get a lot of bigger name bands playing. I'd have to agreee that the smaller the crowd, the better the response. I love playing in smaller venues, there's just something a little more intimate about it."

I also wanted to find out about some of the other countries the band had played in & whether there were any plans to play in Australia.

"Every label in every country wants you there all at the same time, just when the record is coming out, but it never works that way. We've played a fair biut of Europe, Germany has always had a good vibe, while Spain also has. We've played a couple of times in Madrid & Barcelona, but I'd love to go out into some of the less played areas, I think the crowds would be great. We just visited Brazil for the first time, which was great & we've played the US & by the sounds of it, there's support in Australia, so if any promoters want to help out, they should get in touch with our managers."

Before letting Mike go, like most of the bands I've spoken to, I wanted to know what sort of impact the Internet had had on the band.

"Well, to be quite honest, we all feel like we're getting a little left behind, because none of us in the band have a computer. Our manager got someone to set up a website for us & we've all had a look at the unofficial sitres, which are great. I plan to get a computer soon, so maybe I'll get into it a bit more then, of course, that'll probably be after we finish up our tour in December, then a little time off before going into the studion for recording the next album. Maybe by this time next year you'll be talking to me about the new album."

Check out the band's latest album White Magic For Lovers now through Roadrunner.