Ten years ago Stereophonics were playing to just a few hundred people in The Rig at Rock City. This weekend they're at the 9,000-plus capacity Arena. LAURA JOHNSTONE spoke to Kelly Jones about their Decade In The Sun...

Can you believe it's been ten years?

Well it's been quite a quick thing for us really. We've done an album, a tour, an album, a tour… and then six albums later ten years have gone by. It's been a great time for the band, we haven't really had time to stop and analyse it too much. This album has kind of run into the last one. Our world tour only finished a few weeks ago, and now this one has started straight away. This album is sort of a celebration of that. Putting it together was quite mad, looking back over all of our songs and seeing how each album sounded different to all the other albums.

Were you worried about how fans would perceive a Best of... album?

No not at all. We could have released one after five or six years, but we felt now was the right time. To be honest we couldn't fit all the singles on one disc. It's not like we've got some record executive to make up two albums and stick them in the bargain bin for Christmas. I think our fans have been with us for a long time, and the two new songs indicate we are going forward and creating new a record for next year.

How did you choose which tracks to put on there?

We started going through all of the singles, but like I said, we couldn't fit them all on. So we decided to do a two-disc album. That makes it a lot more fun actually. We could make a big round-up of all our styles and what we have done over the last ten years.

Do you have any memories of playing Nottingham?

The main memories for me are from when we first started, playing Rock City and going from the small room to the big room – moving up the ladder. We've spent many a drunken night in Rock City.

Tell me about when you first got signed.

We sent out tapes and packages for five years and nobody gave a ****. But then we were doing a club in London and these two guys came to see us. Before we knew it we had a label wanting to sign us. So it kind of went from one extreme to the other, really.

Did you always set out to make a career from music or was it initially just for fun?

I've been in a band from the age of 12. To me we were always in it for the long haul.

What do you put ten years of success down to?

Staying hungry, wanting to change, and never repeating an album. Sometimes our albums were fashionable, sometimes they weren't. All in all, Stereophonics sound like Stereophonics, whether you love us or you hate us. We never jumped on any bandwagon. If people knock you down, you've got to come back and show them.

Many unsigned bands cite you as an influence.

Do they? That's very nice.

Why do you think that is?

Well I guess we know what people are about. We still go to the pub, we still go on trains and buses, we still know what's on TV and radio. From a band's point of view I've always thought that if you know what people are about and you can write about it then people are going to react.

What do you remember of your initial success a decade ago?

That was the most exciting part in the sense that everyone knew who we were and we could get away with murder. I think by the time the band got to the third album we were so big that we were playing Glastonbury, V Festival, Slane Castle, all in one summer. It was kind of ridiculous, really. So we stopped, and then came back with more. Like coming back with Dakota took us to a whole new audience and we had 13- and 14-year-olds at our gigs. It's moments like that which really excite you.

Pull The Pin went to number one in the space of 48 hours. That is a massive achievement. How much would you say marketing had to do with that?

It was nothing to do with marketing – our record company got bought the week it came out. Our fanbase has been following us for ten years and have been very supportive. I guess it goes back to when we were sat in the back of a car in '96 going to every uni and every radio station, which really lay our groundwork. We didn't just build depth through media. The media came to us when we were already selling records. That will carry on along the way, as long as you come up with the goods.

How do you think you've changed over the years?

I think you really get to know when you put an album together like Decade in The Sun, when you put songs next to each other. But you don't really know it at the time because you're so into going on stage, coming off stage, going back on another. You don't really know what you're doing. It's only in hindsight that you can see all the different influences, all the different experiences, all the different things you've done, it'll come through in your music.

What's next?

We've been in the studio doing some demos. We've got some really uplifting songs. They've got a lot of optimism about them and I really like how they sound. So we're trying to work out how to record them in a way which will be different. So we'll start in March and aim for it to be out next autumn.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

There's a poster that somebody bought the other day which said "keep calm and carry on". That's a bit of good advice, especially for us. That sums up our life.

If you could play any track in any venue what would you choose?

Ooh, Madison Square Garden. To do a headbanging show there would be amazing. We'd probably play Dakota.

Three things you couldn't live without?

I always get stuck on these questions. My phone. I'm always away, it's a necessity in life. Jeans – I love to wear jeans and a leather jacket.

What's your ideal night out?

In an old man's pub with my best mates, telling jokes.

Something we wouldn't know about you?

I have two daughters.

Stereophonics, Arena, Saturday December 13, 7.30pm. Support from The Courteeners. Tickets are £28.87 from the venue, by calling 08444 124 624 or on-line at www.trentfmarenanottingham.com