When not slagging off The Strokes' Julian Casablancas or Pete Doherty, the frontman is busy building on the success of their self-titled 2004 debut album and 2006's Empire through the recording of the third Kasabian album. Shunning other invites, he and the band exclusively play Creamfields 2008.

You're not playing any other festivals this year. So Why Creamfields?
We did nearly all the big festivals last year. Because of that, we got recognised for what we are as a live band again but we weren't sure what we'd really accomplish by just repeating it. So we were going to be a bit more discrete this time. Then we got asked to play Creamfields and we were like "why not?" – I mean, it's rare that a band gets to play that kind of event. Unlike playing Glastonbury, there's something new for us there.

Given how Creamfields is recognised as a dance-oriented festival, could this hint at what direction the band's going next?
Nah man. The thing is, we will be playing to a lot of Kasabian fans even there. Purely because we're not playing anywhere else, I reckon that a lot of our supporters will make the effort to come to that show. And as for all those people that are just up for that euphoric festival vibe? I reckon we'll be able to connect with them on an amazing level; we've always had a groove about us anyway. Even if they've never heard us before, I reckon that they'll get us because we are a crossover band. We're not 'an indie band'. We are a rock 'n' roll band. But we have always been interested in that electronic fusion.

There's been a lot of suggestion that your sound was very much influenced by a lot of northern bands. But you've been quick to deny, like, a 'Madchester' influence, haven't you?
Yeah. But first we'd also been tagged as 'lad rock' and what does that mean? The Arctic Monkeys are probably 'lad rock', aren't they? It's just what the magazines wanted to pigeonhole us as early on and I'm really glad that we managed to shrug that off. I'm far happier that people now see us as a 21st Century rock 'n' roll band. The problem in the beginning was that we were lairy and inexperienced and because weshouted to get ourselves noticed, it was very easy for people to look in our direction and write us off as just a bunch of cheeky little so and sos.

Liam Gallagher sang your praises very early on. He actually said something about you being 'like a gang', didn't he?
But the band did grow up together. We've been making music since we were 16 and we've been through a hell of a lot together. We are like brothers now. When Liam said that, it showed how he really got what we were about.

Do you try and check the other acts when you play a festival?
Usually we're more 'get in there, do what we have to do and get out' but if Ian Brown's playing and the rest of the line-up is as strong, then obviously we're going to make the most of it.

Will you be playing any new material?
I'm not sure. It's too early to say as we're still working on the record. It's in the early stages. But I have to admit that it's already pretty spectacular. This is even better than the other two.

The rumours are that it's a more psychedelic record.
There are a lot of different elements going into in: all these different atoms and neutrons. I can't even say when it's likely to be released either. All I know is that we make it, we then give it to the record company and they announce when people can finally get a chance to hear it.

* Kasabian headline Creamfields 10th Anniversary Festival, August 23-24. Tickets: 0844 888 4401/www.skiddle.co.uk/www.creamfields.com