So Young 60

B: Definitely that visual aspects film 100 percent, even pictures sometimes. Books, I've been absolutely just fucking blown away by the writing of Cormac McCarthy. I'm reading All The Pretty Horses at the moment, just the turn of phrase, a way of describing something. In the moment when I'm reading the book, I don't read a passage or get an image of something or get a sense or a feeling and run to the guitar. But what it does is it instils something in a deeper place and then in the dead of the night when you're sitting actually working on something all of these things colour your mind. I definitely get my meat and potatoes of inspiration out of spiritual stuff, the Bible, two pillars of good and evil. What happens in a person's heart.

S: That's why I think like our relationships between each other, being what they are, it's so crucial to the creation.

You said "I'm truer to myself when performing" - can you elaborate on that and the role of performativity? And then, how do you see the sort of studio/live difference?

S: I said that quote and what I meant by it was I'm a guitar player. The way I'm communicating is through my performance and sonically, without words. In early recovery I struggled with a lot of self-esteem, a lot of confidence issues, but then suddenly when I'm playing guitar on stage, I never have any of those issues. I feel like a truer version of myself when I'm doing the thing I love so much, which is performing the songs I love. This (the interview) is performing for me. The studio and live thing - the studio live thing for us at this stage works like this. You could spend three days in the studio on a song, [spend money of equipment] and it could sound absolutely dogshite because you know there's no possible way of recreating it. However, that rule doesn't apply the other way around. You go play a song live you spend as much time and effort; you could record it in two hours it'll sound amazing.

Same, it's the notion that - "everyone's got a fascist within them" - we have to take these things seriously.

S: Like something in the news or something and it really shocks you, people are kind of shocked and horrified most at the things that deep down they know themselves are capable of. That's why it shocks and horrifies you the most. Just to go back to the original question, with the music process some of my favourite things especially with Paris, Texas was how much I related to that movie artistically creatively and just in my own personal life. I hadn't seen the movie when we wrote that stuff and when I saw it, it just suddenly encapsulated it.

Do you identify as an Irish band, is that something you want to be important to Bleech's identity, as opposed to say being a rock band?

B: The world needs good men you know. Life is the greatest opportunity to partake in this whole cosmic dance, you can really make a difference and it's not about being a fucking superhero, it's this simple everyday task about just turning up and being good. I'm not sure if young men have been getting that message.

B: We're very proud to be Irish, proud of where we come from. Sam's guitar part in 'Ceiling', that's like an Irish trad fiddle part and the melodies, the sense of atmosphere obviously you can't help it, the sound of the Land, it seeps into your bones, to grow up in a place. Do I think of our music as Irish music? I don't know if I do, music definitely doesn't have any borders. It's pretty cool if you can write a song and someone halfway across the world receives it and it communicates something to them. That's part of the magic of music. We're proud to be Irish, you know, it's part of the DNA of Bleech. I'm just not sure if you could call it Irish music.

What comes next - music, EP's, tours - what can you announce?

S: We have a busy touring schedule this year, we have plans for 250-plus shows and we have another single coming out in March. An EP coming out in May. And much more we can't announce just yet...

Where else in culture do you sort of draw inspiration from away from music?

• Bleech 9:3
• Eileen Alister
• February UK Tour
• Terno Rei
• Sat 07 March The Garage, London
• Mosimann
• Wed 22 April Colours Hoxton, London
• Florence Road
• Fri 15 May University, Newcastle
• Kill
• Sløtface
• Fri 27 February
• The Lower Third, London
• Stella Donnelly
• Mon 23 March YES, Manchester
• Son Little

Wed 22 April Jazz Cafe, London okgiorgio

• Sat 16 May Colour Factory, London
• Get Your Tickets at kilipresents.com
• Niall McCabe
• Sun 01 March The Lexington, London
• Dotan
• April
• UK Tour
• Finn Forster
• May
• UK Tour
• Roo Panes
• Sat 06 June
• O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London