With guitarist Steve Cradock out on the road with Paul Weller at the moment, the duo are offering a different glimpse into the world of OCS.

"For a start, Oscar isn't playing the drums", says Simon. "He plays piano and bass, and he does a bit of singing as well. And it will be quite interesting this time round because we are planning to do half a dozen songs from the forthcoming album."

Saturday, their ninth studio album, comes out on February 1. It was recorded over six weeks last summer at the Rockfield studios in South Wales with producer Gavin Monaghan.

It should get the band's anniversary year off to a great start. In 2010 OCS come of age, reaching the grand old age of 21.

"There are not many bands around that started when we did. There are The Charlatans. I don't really know if Blur count!"

As for how OCS have managed it, Simon puts it down to the friendship at the heart of the band: "But realistically I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't had the breakthrough. It gave us the impetus to continue and make records and play.

"The breakthrough was 96. We formed at the end of 89. We had had an earlier stab at it but it never really came off. It was three years in the wilderness of Moseley. The first album came out in 92 to deafening silence, and then we left the label. We were on our own in the studio for three or four years writing what became Moseley Shoals and the other records. Three years day in day out in the studio.

"The breakthrough was Chris Evans playing The Riverboat Song. He was then the Radio 1 morning DJ. 20 years later he is the Radio 2 morning DJ! But he made us the record of the week, and we did the pilot for the TFI show. He used The Riverboat as his walk-on music. Suddenly the album went to number two and it stayed there for six months."