In an industry which regularly spits out supposed next big things just as they're starting to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, Feeder have an enviable lifespan.

The band have gone about their business with the minimum of fuss since unleashing their debut Polythene, 11 years ago and, with a sixth album under their belt and the prospect of sharing a stage with heavy metal giants Metallica at next month's Leeds Festival there's little sign they'll be going their separate ways any time soon.

A quick glance at their back catalogue is enough to realise the threesome's output is impressive. The Singles, the self-explanatory compilation released in 2006, was a case in point. Featuring 20 tracks, about half of them, including Just The Way I'm Feeling, Buck Rogers, Yesterday Went Too Soon and Just A Day, were huge successes given endless airplay.

Music buyers weren't the only ones surprised by how many hits Feeder had in their back catalogue. The band's frontman and main songwriter Grant Nicholas was, too.

"I was amazed, actually! I think we've released 28 singles now," he says. "It shows we've got longevity, and that we don't have to copy any trend. I was worried about doing The Singles at the time, and we were worried it was going to give out the wrong signal to people.

"When you bring out a compilation like that, people think you're stopping or splitting up and I was misquoted on the subject a few times in the press. But the album actually worked in our favour – it's our second biggest-selling album after Comfort In Sound – and it connected us with a load of fans who maybe didn't know we'd done so many songs, or maybe hadn't realised a song they liked was by us.

"It was good for people to hear our earlier tracks from things before Echo Park, too. It means now we can play a bit more of the older back catalogue live."

Which will obviously be good news for those heading to Bramham Park over the August bank holiday, where Feeder will play on the Friday night, and for Grant, playing live is a much more relaxing prospect than slaving over a new album.

"Once I get in the studio, I'm a nightmare," he says. "I get totally immersed in the studio space. If I have to do too much other stuff, I just freak out."

Their last album Silent Cry, released last month, may not be as immediate as Echo Park, which spawned their most chart-friendly songs, or as emotional as Comfort In Sound, written after the suicide of original drummer Jon Lee in 2002, but has seen Feeder return to a more rock-oriented sound – which should serve them well at the Leeds festival where their performance will be between Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold.

Thematically, the album touches on love, relationships, and asks a lot of questions. In fact, negativity is a common thread running throughout.

"That's just the way I am," admits Grant, originally from Newport in South Wales. "I pick up on negativity, but I also try to find something positive in that. I doubt things a lot, and I think anyone who writes music has a bit of insecurity too.

"There's a lot of relationship stuff on the album – songs about break-ups – as well as songs about change and unity, and the world.

"A lot of things have been going on in the world in the last three or four years since our last album; there have been natural disasters, wars, and a lot more interest in the environment.

"People are taking more notice of that now, and all the subjects go into the pot. That's how I write lyrics. We Are The People is an idea I'd had for ages which is about unity, like a call to arms. It's about everyone getting together to effect change, I know it sounds naive, but it's just a positive spin on things, that could be uplifting."

Since Feeder's last album, Grant and his wife, Kana, have had two children, and the 40-year-old maintains his young family have changed the way he writes.

"I'm far more miserable now!" he jokes. "Not really, but being a dad has made me more creative, and I worry less about things I did before.

"You always want people to like your music, and you hate it when you get a bad review, but my priorities have changed and I have a different perspective.

"My family is the most important thing for me, but the band is still a massive thing in my life too. I've got more to write about now in some ways, but I don't want to lose the energy I had before. You can't change totally when you have kids, as to give up on everything is unhealthy.

"My daughter is three and my son is nine months – I absolutely adore them and I'd do anything for them, but I don't have to stop living because I'm a dad.

"I certainly won't stop while I've got the energy to carry on, or we've got the energy as a band. I'm the last guy in the band to have kids – Taka (bass player Taka Hirose) has got three children.

"I think we'll stop when our kids tell us to. When they say, 'Dad, it's time to stop', I'm sure we will. I reckon that'd hurt more coming from our kids than anyone else!"


Feeder – Fact file

The band were formed in Newport, Wales, in 1992, after Grant Nicholas and friend Jon Lee recruited Japanese bassist Taka Hirose with an advert
in Loot.

The band were called Real, but changed their name to Feeder before they were signed. They named themselves after Grant's pet goldfish.

Mark Richardson joined in 2002 after original drummer Jon Lee's suicide that year. Richardson was formerly in Skunk Anansie and Little Angels.

The band were banned from playing in-store
events in HMV stores in 1997 after too many of their fans started crowd-surfing. When the ban
was lifted in 2003, they became the first band to attract 1,500 fans to such an event.

Grant originally wanted to train to become a sound engineer, but enjoyed performing so much he decided to start a band.