When my cat jokes are met with near silence, there’s only one thing for it …I remember the first time it happened, in the band’s earliest days. We were playing a small festival in Yorkshire, before a seated audience in an arts centre. At the end of the first song there was an unfamiliar sound, like bacon sizzling, but amplified. It took me a moment to realise it was applause.Up until that point we had mostly played in pubs, where everything we did was met with the same level of high-spirited indifference – the persistent, lively hum of people determined not to let a bit of music spoil their night out. Applause was new. Continue reading...

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/23/tim-dowling-the-band-shuns-my-new-jokes