Originally formed in 1981, The Blow Monkeys enjoyed great success with songs like 'Digging Your Scene', 'It Doesn't Have to Be This Way' and 'Choice?' before splitting in 1990.

The band reformed in 2007 and have been busy recording and touring since, releasing five albums - the most recent of which was 2015's 'If Not Now, When?'

The Blow Monkeys play Dublin's Grand Social tomorrow (October 14th) - so we had a chat with frontman Dr. Robert ahead of the gig.

What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
Marc Bolan..Freda Payne..Curtis Mayfield..Andy Stewart ..Glenn Miller..Elgar ..Bacharach and David..the list is endless.

When did you first realise you wanted a career in music?
When I went busking in Sydney aged 16 and people listened.

In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
In The Moment.

How do you wind down after a gig?
A nice cup of tea.

What’s the one song you wish you’d written or recorded first?
Shipbuilding.

What song of yours are you most proud of?
The Wild River.

What’s your favourite venue to perform in?
The Trades Club. Hebden Bridge.

Your best and worst gig so far?
Best: Hammersmith Odeon 1987. Worst: Winchester 2011.

Whose career do you envy, and why?
I don’t.

Vinyl or digital downloads?
Both. Is that allowed?

Give your thoughts on Spotify in three words.
Music made easy.

You can only have three albums on your phone/in your house at any one time - what three would you pick for today?
Fred Neil - 'Bleecker and Macdougall', Van Morrison - 'Astral Weeks', David Bowie - 'Lodger'.

Name one piece of music memorabilia that you wish you owned.
Jimi Hendrix's white Strat.

Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
Joni Mitchell - 'Blue', Oscar Wilde - 'De Profundis', Nicolas Roeg's 'Walkabout'.

Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
Ken Loach, Peter Capaldi.

You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
Number 27.

You’ve been given €100,000 to spend, but only 1 hour to spend it. What do you buy?
I give it to my mum.

Describe your perfect day off.
Reading and sipping on green tea.

Tell us why we should listen to your new album.
You shouldn’t.

What else do you have planned for 2017?
To carry on breathing and looking at things.