Los Campesinos!: “You can pretty much get by on charm and energy alone”

It’s safe to say that indie stalwarts Los Campesinos! are no strangers to the festival circuit, but that doesn’t mean fans aren’t potentially in for something new - the fact that they’ve presumably been working away on their sixth album makes their performance at Live at Leeds this weekend all the more intriguing.

While the Cardiff six-piece have mostly been spending their time recently creating their #LosCamPanini sticker album - check Twitter if you don’t believe it - they’ve also been gearing up for a handful of live appearances. Ahead of their slot at the Leeds showcase this weekend, we fired some festival-related questions at frontman Gareth Campesinos!, who let us know how he managed to piss of Kate Nash back at Glastonbury 2007…

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Which is your favourite festival to play (and why)?
Best we’ve ever done has got to be Lollapalooza. We got to sup on free VitaminWater in the same backstage area as Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson, as though we were fit to shine their shoes.

What was the one festival you’d go to growing up regularly?
Being a West Country boy, it was Glastonbury. You think the rest of the UK’s in thrall to that place, you want to speak to the locals, it’s like no other festival exists.

Has there been one particular set you saw at a festival that was life-changing (or just, like, particularly memorable for whatever reason)?
I saw Destroyer at ATP in 2006 having never heard his music before and was hooked immediately.

What’s the best thing about playing to a festival crowd?
Everyone generally lowers the standards they expect of bands at festivals. As a band you can pretty much get by on charm and energy alone.

What’s the worst thing to have happened to you at a festival – either as gig-goer or artist (with info!)?
Tried to share some weed with my new friend Kate Nash while watching Euros Childs at Glastonbury in 2007, and she looked at me like I was fucking dirt, and then she was no longer my friend. Also, face planted while stage diving at Summer Sundae ‘cause some crazed fan grabbed my ankle. Got a concussion and the Guardian wrote about it.

And… you’re gonna have practised this one, right? Your #1 top festival tip.
It used to be wet wipes, but these days it’s all about hand sanitiser. You can get drunk off it if you run out of cans.