Orlando Weeks - adored, reluctant frontman of the most exciting indie band in the country right now, The Maccabees. We caught up with him to get threatened with hexes and discuss new single Love You Better and album Wall of Arms.

He must be in some trendy bar, living it up and basking in the thrill of releasing a new record, right?

Orlando Weeks: I'm in Eastbourne. I honestly feel like I'm 72, retired and have nothing to do with my life â“ it's amazing.

Greg Rose: Are you the youngest person there?

OW: I am. I think I could probably beat most people in a running race, which is rare. Although, I think with age you start enjoying sun more. Today is a glorious day.

GR: The kind of day to listen to Love You Better â“ did you know it was a single as soon as you wrote it?

OW: When we started recording it, only then did it start making sense. I think it's one of the best songs we've ever written now.

GR: There's the potential on a lot of the tracks to be hits. Is it intended to write songs that would appeal to the masses?

OW: That's just how it's turned out, if it has. We try to write the best songs we can. It would just drive us mental if we thought we had to scrap songs if they didn't work on the radio. It's just chance if something sounds radio-able.

GR: What if it does really well though â“ how big would you want to get?

OW: I don't think I have to worry about that â“ I can't see us getting big enough for it to become an issue.

GR: What's your favourite track on the album?

OW: Bag of Bones is a brave step for us. I love Kiss and Resolve. It nods to Richard Hawley, which is how I thought this album would go. It's how I sing best and find it the least embarrassing listening back.

GR: You're embarrassed by your singing? Do you ever worry that nobody else sings like you?

OW: Erm, I mean, yeah, (Embarrassed laughing) quite a lot. If I could avoid singing, I would. Now that I'm playing guitar on a lot of tracks, when I'm...erm... not feeling well and I can't sing I enjoy rehearsals much better because I'm not worried about my voice. I've stitched myself into the corner with singing now â“ nobody else will do it.

GR: Don't you see the positives that you have a unique voice.

OW: I suppose so. I've just got, erm, I've kinda, I've just. Yes, I suppose it's a good thing.

GR: That self-consciousness comes out onstage. Do you think there's too much focus on you?

OW: Everyone's staring at Fe (guitarist Felix) aren't they? He's the kind of frontman.

GR: You have such different personas onstage â“ are you glad it's turned out like that?

OW: He's always had this amazing ability to find being onstage the highlight of his life. I envy him for it. I enjoy myself a lot, but I am a lot more self-conscious. I'm just glad he's got this proper joy. It's amazing to be next to someone that is so fucking happy. You can feed of Fe and I think everyone does.

GR: Do you see yourself as an anti-frontman?

OW: I just don't mind if the attention is off me.

GR: So how do you write songs together?

OW: Someone will have the skeleton to a song and then we will play it over and over again. Eventually it takes a form, then we scrap it. We usually come back to it months later. It's exhausting, but we're sure by the time something is done that it has earned its place. But also, by the time we let people hear it we've heard it so many times that it relies on us to try and enjoy ourselves and change it â“ which is why we enjoy playing live.

GR: How do you find playing the old songs â“ are you bored of them?

OW: When we rehearse them, we're bored of them. But live, everything comes from adrenaline, taking risks and the chance someone might fuck up. That's why gigs don't get boring; it's like Grand Prixs - as much as you don't want people to crash, it adds something.

GR: Is it fair to say you were going through the motions touring (first album) Colour It In by the end?

OW: I think so. We felt like we had been doing them songs long enough. We felt we were short-changing people that were coming to see us, not giving them anything new. That's when we knew we had to start writing again and stop touring.

GR: Have there been times on the tour when you've played a new song and everyone has looked bored?

OW: Well, we've convinced ourselves they're not bored, they're concentrating.

GR: Do you think the album will change peoples' perceptions of you as a band. Will it find you new fans?

OW: I don't know. People will have a new perception of us? I really hope so. It's hard to say, hard to say.

GR: What would you change about the album if you could mix it again now?

OW: I wouldn't change it; we've made the best record we could. What everyone is listening to, how competent everyone is, the time we gave ourselves to do it, it's the best we could do. Everyone's still proud as punch.

GR: Can you still get better?

OW: If we don't get better we won't release anything else. If we didn't think this was better we wouldn't have brought it out.

GR: What's been your main inspiration musically for this album?

OW: Iggy Pop: Lust For Life and Lou Reed: Transformer. Then later, Grizzly Bear, The National, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Interpol and Steve Reich, the composer. Where Animal Collective are at, that's what I'm concentrating on now. It's hard work, but when you're listening to it, you're really trying to understand it.

GR: Are you becoming more of a scholar of music?

OW: I would never use that word... When you're in a band, like it or not you listen to stuff in a different way. When I can enjoy an album without thinking, it shows I really love it. If I'm not analysing it, I'm enjoying it.

GR: If you hear your tracks on the radio can you take pleasure in it?

OW: I'm not so good at it. I have a flash of pride and then self-doubt and self-consciousness comes in pretty quick. I try not to listen to, or watch back or read interviews.

GR: I could say anything I want then...

OW: Well, you could, but someone would tell me and then I'll hex you....No, I won't hex you, I don't believe in that.

GR: Thanks, Orlando.

OW: Yeah, aren't I a good guy.

GR: Indeed. So are you an indie band?

OW: I suppose so. I guess we're just a band really but, indie would probably, yeah, yeah. Yeah? Yeah. Yes.

GR: What do you think of British indie music at the moment? Is there any of your peers that you are looking up to?

OW: Loads of people. The Mystery Jets are incredible, Jamie T is a massively important artist. I'll stop there because I don't want to forget anyone â“ they're two examples of bands we hugely admire.

GR: What's the difference between bands like yourselves and the US acts you've been listening too?

OW: It goes in peaks and troughs. Five years ago, UK bands were stealing the show from the Americans, now it's the other way round, it's a see-saw thing. I don't see it like a contest, it does what it does, doesn't it?

GR: Was there a conscious effort for the new album's lyrics to be less nostalgic?

OW: No, you just kind of grow up. Because the last album was about childhood and growing up, it needed those nostalgia references. There's a lot more about right now on this album, so I suppose there's no need for nostalgia as much. Yeah, good spot, I hadn't thought of that.

GR: The first album was romantic in an abstract way, but romance is a central theme in Wall of Arms. Do you see that?

OW: It's an old cliché, but the way Maccabees are, you set your stall out. If it hadn't happened to me, or someone close to me, I wouldn't be able to justify writing about it. I wouldn't be able to explain it if I needed to ⓠnot that I want to. It's for my own wellbeing. If I can justify it, there's more reason to write it.

GR: You find this difficult don't you? Do you enjoy speaking about yourself?

OW: No! Not that it's not nice speaking to you â“ it's a compliment that you do research and take time out, so it would be rude for me not to respond in an informative and intelligent way, but I find it awkward. It's a necessity with the territory. It's not my favourite thing.

GR: So is the music a release from that?

OW: I even find playing the gigs, quite, quite tricky. I'm getting better at enjoying it. The thing for me is to push myself, I can try and create things, write songs, be in a cooperative. We work as a team â“ it's those things I take the real joy from and they keep me satisfied and thrilled with the job I have.

GR: Whatever happened to second albums being difficult? Did it ever cross your mind it would fail?

OW: Most of the time we thought it was going to be awful. But we didn't settle for mediocre songs. If it bombs, we would be sad, but at least we'd know we were happy with it.

• For more information about The Maccabees visit their MySpace page


• New Maccabees album, Wall of Arms and latest single Love You Better are available now.