"No, we stopped playing it for ages. We really went off it and we weren't going to record it for the album. However we wrote the trumpet parts for it and it all started to turn really big and grand. It was the first song that we ever wrote. It was such a nice song, we grew bored of it but then it took on a new life."

Would you go so far and get a whole orchestra behind the song?

"Yeah definitely, like "Day of The Life" by the Beatles, most incredible thing ever."

William joins in. "Even "Baby I love You" by the Ramones, that's more applicable to us. It shows that it can be really good."

Preston nods in agreement before speaking again. "The best sort of marriage is like that punk rock thing with the real pop sound. I think when Phil Spectre produced the Ramones it was one of the most perfect things ever. It worked so well with that kind of raw energy of the Ramones and the punk ethic mixed with the punk sensibilities in that musicianship."

The lyrics for 'Seaside' seemed quite personal. Does Preston write a lot of the songs based on personal experiences?

"When I talk to people I work out what opinions they have, what sort of things anger them and what they worry about. If I agree with what they are saying I will try and write about that so that I can focus on other peoples opinions. Therefore they will listen to the album and agree with it rather than find me to be patronising or trying to lecture people because I don't want to come across like that at all. I like to write songs on what people think about. What my friends think about and what people who come to our gigs think about."

Interview by Andrew Mclean 2004
Photography © Ordinary Boys 2004