Bicycle Thieves are an indie five piece formed in November 2008. Their role call reads like this:

Tom Hammersley – Lead vocalist/Guitar
Ash Hopkins – Backing vocalist/Guitar
James “Jimmy” Feltham – Guitar
Jim Reynolds – Bass
Nick Pickering – Drums

Today’s port of call is Liverpool, the band’s base of operations. These two wheeled tea leaves are gaining momentum quicker than Lance Armstrong riding downhill. Steve Lamacq believes ‘Stop to Start’ is a “juggernaut of a track”. As we ‘effing love music, Dork mooched to Liverpool to interview them;

Is the band’s name from the Italian film, or the Pale Fountains song?

James: It’s the film, and the fact that Ash had his bike nicked the day we named the band.

What was the 1st album/single you ever purchased?

Jim: I think it was Baddiel and Skinner with ‘Three Lions’ in ’96.
James: Album wise, mine was Definitely Maybe, but I did buy Run-DMC’s single ‘It’s Like That’.

Being based in Liverpool, do you feel pressured by the cities musical heritage?

James: Obviously, you respect the band’s that have come before you, but you have pressure with every city. Liverpool it’s The Beatles, Manchester it’s Oasis, London it’s the Libertines.
Jim: In Wolverhampton you have Slade
James: You’ve just got to get on with it, you know?

When it comes to writing music, where do you draw your influences from?

Tom: Personal experience really, with a bit of romanticism thrown in. One of the songs is about when my mate hit me in the face, but that would only go so far, you have to add some depth really, and make it a big tongue in cheek.

Do you feel pressured by the industry attention you’ve been receiving?

Nick: Every step up seems very natural, it’s all come in its stride. I don’t think it’s beyond anyone what we’re doing.
Ash: I think the thing is we haven’t put any pressure on ourselves; we haven’t set ourselves a fixed template or anything.
Nick: I think it’s good as well that we’re up here, we can just get on with it like. It might be different if we were in London say.

If you could play any festival, which would you choose?

Unified response: Glastonbury.

If you were given the choice of headlining Glastonbury, or pulling Heidi Klum twice a week for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Nick: If you told people you were ‘gonna headline Glasto, people would believe you. If you said you’d pulled Heidi Klum nobody would.
Jim: You might be able to do a duet with Seal though if Heidi Klum took a shine to you

With the magazine being called Dork, were any of you dorks in school?

Nick: I still am a dork mate. My bedroom hasn’t changed since I was six, I’ll leave you with that.

At that point, a mysterious character named Paul wanders over. The band tells me to “ask Paul a question about Bicycle Thieves”.

What colour best sums up Bicycle Thieves music?

Paul: Soiled Pink.

The band breaks into raucous laughter. I’m left feeling slightly bemused by what just happened and Paul saunters off to enlighten some other unsuspecting soul. Give ‘em a listen, then thank me later.