In the first of a two-part interview, Henry Dartnall of The Young Knives talks to Tim Hughes about fame and the importance of getting your greens on the road It's Halloween and fans of Oxford band The Young Knives are partying hard.

The band have just completed a gruelling UK tour, rounding it off with an uproarious gig at the Zodiac. But Henry Dartnall, his brother Tom (aka House of Lords) and Oliver Askew barely have time to down a beer, before getting back on the bus, this time to mainland Europe.

"I don't know what to expect," says Henry. "We do have quite a few Norwegian dates though, which is great, as they're hot for it!"

Henry, House and Ollie have gone from being everyone's favourite Oxford band to a adrenaline-fuelled, pop-funk national phenomenon within a year.

Their album Voices of Animals and Men has been a huge hit, they've appeared at the best festivals, supported the likes of The Rakes, and will soon be doing an arena tour with Snow Patrol.

Their catchy singles like Weekends and Bleakdays, The Decision and She's Attracted To have been played on Radio 1, and championed by Radio 2's Jonathan Ross. They even appeared on BBC 2's Later! with Jools Holland, where they made other acts, including Primal Scream, look amateur.

It is a remarkable achievement for a bunch of lads who were last year still figuring out how to quit their day jobs.

"It has been done in small steps," says Henry.

"There has been no hit single that has shot into some ridiculous stratosphere. It has all happened through word of mouth."

Did he ever imagine this while they were bashing away in small venues like Oxford's Cellar, six years ago?

"I imagined it, vaguely," he admits. "If you are in this business, you've got to be a bit of an ego-maniac, otherwise you would be better off doing something which doesn't court glory, like morris dancing. We always thought we could be good enough to break through, but were pleased if just 20 people in an audience were happy.

"It has been surprising though - especially playing Jools Holland. That was a real moment when we just thought what the hell are we doing here?"

So, with all the acclaim, are they perfectionists?

"We take our music very seriously," replies Henry. "But that doesn't mean we are geeks."

One of the highpoints of any TYK gig is Henry trading insults with his brother, partly to break down barriers with the audience. Is he ever tempted to ditch the fraternal self-deprecation and animosity for a night?

"Well, it is difficult after 25 dates to find something funny to say about how fat the House of Lords is! But House is good at going off on one, and I let him do that. He's in a world of his own."

The band work to a punishing schedule - they only get four days off in November. Henry admits: "We're eating rubbish every day, and are desperately trying to keep fit. We've got to the point where we won't eat any food from petrol stations, and ask for lots of vegetables - as well as clean socks - on our rider."

But actually they're loving life on the road.

"It's like camping - and I like camping," smiles Henry. "Our beds are outside the door of the venue, so you don't notice the travelling.

"There's a corner of the bus where all the sweaty shirts and trousers go, which smells like cat wee - but we just open the skylight.

"And if that's all we've got to worry about, that's not bad."

* The Decision is out now on 7in vinyl, CD or download, on Transgressive Records