What’s on your rider?

TONY CLAYTON-LEA talks to Andy Cairns of Therapy?

TONY CLAYTON-LEAtalks to Andy Cairns of Therapy?

What's on your rider?Water, juice, soya milk, wine, beer, cheese, fruit and veg, a pack of local-themed postcards and stamps.

What would be on your fantasy rider?Clean laundry and phone credits.

What’s your pre-gig routine? Distract ourselves as much as possible until 30 minutes before the show, then warm-up playing.

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How do you get to the gig?Walking.

What's the best gig you've been to?Either the Magic Band at Shepherd's Bush in 2003 or The Stooges doing Funhouse at Hammersmith 2004. I was too young to catch both acts first time around and presumed it was something I'd never see. Both gigs blew my mind.

And the worst?Dee Dee Ramone at the Garage, Highbury. Absolutely bloody awful. This is coming from a Ramones fan, too.

Ecologically speaking, are you closer to Radiohead or Motörhead?Neither – we plough our own furrow. We only fly if we really have to.

Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?Buzz O'Neill.

Most embarrassing on-stage moment?1995 in front of 70,000 Dutch at an outdoor festival: "Hello Belgium!". Not good.

What's your crowd-pleasing number?A medley of our hit.

Chatting between songs – good or bad? Good. Just don't go on.

Groupies – would you?In the past, maybe, though I preferred to call it speed dating.

Have you a special stage wardrobe?If only (sigh).

Any useful stage tips?Don't get plastered/stoned/ wired unless you can handle it. The Amsterdam show has been pivotal in the demise of many bands.

What's the worst thing ever thrown at you?A litre bottle of vodka in Palestrina, Italy, in 1998. Some dick in the crowd lobbed it and it hit my forearm, which required medical attention. If it had hit anyone in the band on the head it would have been very bad.

Who's invited to your aftershow party?All the greats.


Therapy? play The Academy Dublin tonight