MD: When and how did you form The Great Shakes?

Great Shakes: A couple of years ago, Kings Head pub, Magdalen Street, over a pork pie.

MD: Artrocker has said you're like 'a puppy with lasers coming out of its eyes'. Is this an accurate description? How would you describe yourself?

GS: If Artrocker says so then who are we to disagree? We're changing our idea of what we are so fast that we don't even know. There will always be a strong sense of melody and harmony in what we do, but we love noise too. Like My Bloody Valentine playing Burt Bacharach covers. Didn't they do that once?

MD: You've released a couple of singles on NROne records so far. Any plans to record an album? How do you think you'll approach this?

GS: I think it will be an organic affair. In an empty house, in the cold, cold sun. We work best in low-key situations. We've got a load of songs, but we're always writing and refining what we do. If we'd recorded one a month ago it would sound nothing like the one we'd record next week. I'm not afraid to put down a document of the band, then move on and do something different. At this stage though, we've not thought about it much. I think that's important.

MD: What do you think the hot City Sounds Festival means to Norwich and its scene?

GS: It's great for Norwich. We played it last year, and went to almost every night. This year it's massive though. Like Norwich's own South By Southwest or something. It's going to be difficult to get round. I like the fact that the line-ups are diverse. It's going to give people a view that Norwich is about a wide range of music styles and there are some excellent bands, not just the two or three that get national coverage and currently seem to define the 'Norwich Sound' to the world.

MD: Your music is very upbeat. Do you feel it’s important for music to be a positive force?

GS: Absolutely. We have a lot of fun and I think that shows. We enjoy playing. But there is a streak of melancholy running through what we do. Even in the upbeat songs. It's hard to quash that. It's intrinsic to the music, the melodies and the lyrics. But that doesn't mean those songs aren't positive. They are hopelessly optimistic.

MD: Who would you say is your biggest influence and what would you tell them if you met them at a metaphorical party?

GS: I could list all the cool people, Michael Caine, Jesus, Bob Dylan, Tom Verlaine and Philip Larkin, but it comes down to one man. And that man is Mr Bean. I'd tell him he is a genius, and I don't use that term lightly.

MD: What do you guys do outside the band? Do you find it difficult to balance it with your 'normal' life?

GS: Our lives are far from normal. We're teachers.