Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay and production partner Andy Cato just keep getting hotter, headlining Creamfields this August bank holiday. We quizzed Tom on festival fever, crowd-pleasers and those M&S food adverts.

Groove Armada have unleashed five massive albums so far, plus a remix collection and a Best Of. The latest – Soundboy Rock – continues the duo’s love affair with club culture that’s already seen them navigate the globe on numerous occasions. Featuring Angie Stone, ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, The Rakes’ Alan Donohoe, Hard-Fi’s Richard Archer and Simon Lord of Simian, its credits read like a festival line-up.

What are your memories of your earlier Creamfields appearances?

I’ve played it a few times as a DJ, plus we’ve done it just the once live. It was at the Airfield and, even though I was never a great lover of that as a venue, it had a certain manic energy that you don’t get anywhere else. I’m looking forward to seeing how that translates to this latest space in Cheshire, it’s supposed to be amazing.

You used to be based up north. Do you notice differences with crowds in other parts of the country?

Well – I’m showing my age now – but I was in Manchester about twelve years ago while I was studying. I still have loads of mates there now and had some clubbing experiences up there with the Fat City/Grand Central crew. Andy is big into what goes on in Liverpool – particularly with Chibuku and likes to play over that way when he gets the chance. As for those geographical differences… well, I think it’s fairly similar. We’ve been doing a UK tour so I feel like I can comment on the various places. Like we did Barrowlands in Glasgow and the Scottish are just insane. We played Manchester and that had to be the best show we’ve ever done there. Then we go to some less celebrated places like Norwich – as we did the other night – and we had it right off.

Does the whole festival vibe have an influence on what you two do as Groove Armada?

Massively. Our debut Glastonbury set was really the first time it came together for us performance-wise. And I think what we do really resonates with a festival crowd: a bit of the dub reggae soundsystem culture always works on a sunny day. For me, it’s the best part of the job. Going around and being able to check out loads of different bands and DJs is hardly what you can call work, is it? No - it’s always a real pleasure.

So has this prompted that more uptempo Groove Armada? I mean, the first album was quite chilled-out in places…

I think we were making tracks like that because we had this idea about what ‘an album’ should be. We thought that you had to have loads of more home-listening material on there so it was our idea of what a dance act should do with a long-player format. And we were looking for a bit of variety. But while we were doing that, we were still out every Saturday night DJing. As time’s gone on, we’ve just felt able to push it more and more to create music that fully represents us. Like I wouldn’t want to be out playing a series of downtempo tracks like ‘At The River’ every night as we’d be putting an audience to sleep.

Or making them hungry since it’s now become the sound of M&S food adverts?

I know… that’s a ball-ache. It’s our own fault though. I shouldn’t moan but it is a bit of a nightmare. I mean, we were approached about them using the track a while back when things weren’t going that great for us and it’s still going to be used for another six months. Don’t get me wrong: I love the food from Marks & Spencer but it’s a bit sad as I know so many people who, like, got married to that tune and now it’s on the TV every night advertising a dessert or whatever. It’s the one I regret the most. In a way, it feels a bit like a betrayal.

The new material collaborates with a lot of guests. Does that get difficult when you take it out live?

Not really as we have a really good band with three great and versatile vocalists.

So Mutya and her hotpants won’t be joining you at Creamfields?

I don’t think so. I’d love to do one of those Gorillaz-type dates and get everyone who’s on the album to come and play but, for now, we’ve got a good team. And the response from the crowd is testament to that.

You have developed a reputation as real crowd-pleasers on the circuit, haven’t you?

Yes. I mean, I don’t think that we’re a ‘press band’. We’ve never had the media hype that we might have wanted at certain points in our careers but we’ve worked hard at becoming more of a ‘people’s band’ just by gigging a lot and developing what we do. Like now: over 90% of the sound that you’re hearing during a Groove Armada show is now being made live on stage. At one time, we relied on a lot of backing tracks. So what we’re doing these days is much more fresh and energetic and that genuinely seems to communicate with the audience and create a great atmosphere.

And you’re joint headliners at Creamfields?

That’s great. It is nice to get that kind of billing. Like I said, we’ve been working away at it for years and haven’t had an especially ‘cool’ profile but the promoters have realised that we can still put on a great show and we can still tempt plenty of people to buy tickets. This, for me, is us finally getting some credit for that.

The likes of The Chemical Brothers are also battling with you on that bill. Is there ever any personal pressure to make the event your own?

They’re all gonna be great shows and that’s the main thing. And everybody’s so different. The Chemical Brothers have a furious DJ show while we do something very live so it works in these individual ways. But there’s also the younger names on the scene that seem to really be coming out fighting at the moment. Like Hot Chip or the Klaxons. Again, totally individual and that’s pretty inspiring.

Who are you keen to check out at Creamfields?

I’ve seen a lot of the artists before. Like The Chemical Brothers and I’ve seen LCD Soundsystem three times. That said, I’d always check them out again. But then there’s Justice and I’ve never seen them play. They’re getting loads of attention right now and I really think it’s deserved. They’re going to be one of the next big names: they’re tough but funky as f*ck and they have the kind of hooky elements that will drag them out of the clubs and into the charts. That ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ single of theirs is just amazing while the Simian thing – ‘Never Be Alone’ – has been one of my favourite club records for ages. But I’m bang into all of it: the dynamism and energy right now. I mean, in Norwich we ended up at a Klaxons after-party and it was full of all these 18 year-olds wearing all the gear and being really, really into it.

Groove Armada will be headlining this year’s Creamfields Festival alongside the Chemical Brothers, Kelis, Mark Ronson, LCD Soundsystem, Carl Cox + more.

Visit www.creamfields.com