DIY enthusiasts

(Click here for the full festival lineup)

The band are from Tewksbury in Gloucestershire and have built up an underground following for their ballsy ska/punk sound. Over the 16 years together they've had a top 40 single and played the first Download Festival.

Despite being signed to Warner Brothers in 2002 and getting a single, Jump On Demand, to 39 in the singles chart, the band and label parted company, they sacked their manager, took on the day- to-day running and created their own label, Dent'All Records, in 2004.

CL: The band was formed in 1994. That's a long time together. Is the enthusiasm still there?

Alex: The main thing is that we still enjoy doing it, and always have done. We are a bunch of mates first and foremost and that is the main reason it isn't something we think of as a chore. We love doing this.

CL: You've played everywhere from sweaty pubs to major festivals, which do you prefer?

Alex: They both have their place. We have played some big shows and wouldn't want to swap the feeling for anything.. but there is also something to be said for a whole room getting sweaty along with you while you're playing.

CL: Life on the road – how do you keep sane?

Alex: Beer, mainly. And a lot of DVDs to watch.

CL: You played the first Download Festival at Castle Donington in July 2003. What was it like?

Alex: Awesome. It meant a lot to me anyway as I always used to go to the Monsters of Rock there as a kid... so it felt like I'd really made it to play where I'd watched so many of my favourite bands. The atmosphere on the day was something else. Oh, and Metallica supported us – well, they played a secret set right before us on the stage we were on anyway...

CL: Touring with Green Day and Bowling for Soup, what was that like?

Alex: Very cool. With Green Day we did a bunch of big festivals and got to sit down and get wrecked with them too and they are the nicest people you could meet – they don't have to be, so that makes it even more special when you realise they really are grateful for what they have achieved. Bowling For Soup came over and supported us on our tour. A lot of that is a blur... which means it must have been fun.

CL: You left Warner Brothers and sacked your management a few years ago. How easy is it to run things yourselves? What are your feelings on big record labels?

Alex: It's different and can be a struggle but we were lucky to have met people during our time together so we had distribution and things like that in place – the same goes for the management thing. There is something to be said for having someone looking after things for you, but it is too easy to fall out of touch with what is going on and this is what happened to us. We had lost control of our own band in some respects, and it felt good to take it back again. Big labels have their place but sometimes you risk losing your real identity as a band if you do EVERYTHING they want you to do...

CL: You put on/have put on your own festival in Tewksbury. How does that go down?

Alex: It's a good excuse to get friends and bands we like and know together for a great day of music. It also means we are putting something on for our hometown and we just enjoy doing it. I think people come along and appreciate the fact that we keep it so close to home. We get people travelling from all over the place now which is awesome.

Alex: More of the same, more shows, more songs, more fun. We are writing new tunes at the moment and looking at another album release some time sooner rather than later. We have said for many years – and it still holds true – we will keep on playing and having fun if people keep on coming to see us. So I can't see us disappearing anytime soon.

• [spunge] headline the Discharge Stage next Saturday.