Full transcript from the Simian live chat.

Collective: You have a "first take" philosophy on recording, which is very refreshing. Which other artist or band would you most like to hear a first take of?

Simian Simon: We can't be arsed to do a second one!

Simian James: We can also make it all go in tune with computers.

Simian James: All those pop people tune their stuff up digitally - Kylie, or anyone - I bet they all sound like dogs!

Simian Alex: She probably looks like one first thing in the morning!

Collective: What music are you listening to at the moment?

Simian Simon: We've got loads of influences. We listen to different types of music - electro, R'n'B, 60s psych, folk. We don't care about boundaries. We just bung it all into a big stewing pot, stir it around, and see what happens.

Simian Simon: Often the good stuff comes from trying to emulate a good influence and getting it wrong, but still coming up with some good stuff.

Simian James: It makes us hard to pigeonhole, but we don't really care. Simian Simon: We're like a parasite!

Simian Jas: An incompetent parasite!

Simian James: We like to keep it fresh and keep it real.

Simian Simon: I'm really reactionary in terms of what I listen to at the moment. When making this album we listened to a lot of R'n'B and electronic music, but today I'm listening to English folk music sung in the bard style.

Simian James: I'm listening to stuff which sounds like D'Angelo meets Aphex, or something.

Question from Donna: Do you feel that the change in artwork for the new album reflects a change in the album material?

Simian James: Completely yeah. We did it on purpose to make each album an entity in its own right.

Simian James: This one is a lot more forward, forthright and positive, in your face, than the last one, with bright, bouncy artwork.

Question from Peta: Why did you used Stuffed animals on the cover of the last album?

Simian Alex: The first time we saw them they immediately struck some kind of chord...

Simian James: G minor?

Simian Simon: At first, it's not really clear that they're stuffed. They look quite natural, and that's what we like - we've made these things that look natural, could have been alive, but are completely artificial, manmade, and in some people's heads, disgusting.

Simian James: We could afford Jim Henson with the budget of the last album!

Question from Louise: When is your next gig because I saw you play as support band for the Nice and thought you were brilliant!

Simian Simon: We're about to got to Europe, so we're not playing in London til 6 December when we come back from our long slog around Germany, France, Belgium and Holland. Simian James: We're also doing a full on American road trip in February, March...

Question from Godbal: why are you called simian?

Simian Simon: Various reasons - when I was a kid, everyone used to call me monkey boy, and it kind of stuck. When I met these I was doing some acoustic stuff, and I used the name simian (meaning relating to a monkey), just from monkey boy.

Simian James: Everytime Simon is fertile he gets a big, red crusty arse... Question from Chris: When did you first form or get together?

Simian James: A couple of years ago now.

Simian James: We're still quite fledgling.

Simian Alex: The first album appeared within about two months of us all meeting each other.

Simian Alex: We just got on with experiments, we'd wear suits, write our aims...

Simian James: If it was down to us, we'd probably make an album every few months.

Simian James: We'd keep putting albums out, but the way the industry works, you can only put an album out every year.

Simian James: The next album will probably be completely different - we might go all country next time! Well, my solo album anyway...!

Question from Matt: Didn’t Brian Eno help out on the album. What did he do and what was he like to work with?

Simian James: He makes a cracking cup of tea!

Simian James: He was interested in the way we worked, and when a living legend asks if he can come round, we jumped at the chance. He brought little wooden tom drums, effects with him.

Simian Simon: He'd just sit there, reading his newspaper, his book, and then he'd say 'stop doing that, do this!', and because it's Brian Eno, you'd go 'ooh, alright then!'

Simian James: He's got a great way of approaching it, and that was inspirational.

Simian James: He was like a benevolent, friendly uncle really.

Simian James: Uncle Eno!

Question from Harry: Why are you our friends?!

Simian Simon: Oh! Unconditional love!

Simian James: As long as the fans give it back!

Simian Jas: That's a condition!

Simian James: It comes from one of the songs called Never Be Alone. We just thought it summed up some of the moods and themes on the album.

Simian Simon: We weren't thinking about it in a dark way - we were being honest - we're your friends!

Question from Godbal: I notice that Simian Mobile Disco are playing the CMJ event this weekend. Is that anything to do with you guys?

Simian James: We're going out to New York for five days. It's a big gig with the Chemical Brothers in a big hall, pretending to be superstar DJs for the day.

Simian Simon: It's the first ever rock and roll DJ band!

Simian James: Jas is a really good DJ, and he can mix and stuff, so we thought we'd use him! We take laptops, drum machines, and just improvise stuff and have a laugh,

> Simian Simon: It was born out of the period when we were inbetween albums and we just wanted to do stuff, so we mixed DJing with just messing about with samples, and it kind of took off.

Simian Simon: We've been to Barcelona, Paris, New York...

Simian James: It's been really good, and it's easy as well! DJs tell you it's hard, but...

Question from Matt: So what's this about the Church of Simian??

Simian Simon: When we started out we hadn't played many gigs, so we wanted to do some events, and we happened to live opposite a church, and it was a bar, so we were there one day having a drink, and thought we'd do a gig there.

Simian Simon: And we thought, why not rope in a whole religion as well?

Simian Simon: Before we knew it we had people asking us for the Bible!

Simian Simon: So we took over the whole building, and had DJs, art, and we just had a bit more impact with it! Simian James: L Ron Hubbard is our founding father!

Question from James: is it true you kidnapped an AnR man? if so how, and would you advise it instead of the job centre?

Simian James: It is actually, yeah.

Simian James: When we started off, we made an album in our bedrooms. We had nothing to lose. The first label we showed it too, we just thought we'd set him a challenge...

Simian Simon: AnR people don't like leaving London, so when they get to Manchester they get nervous. We thought we'd make it an experience for him, so we bunged him in the back of a car, blindfolded...

Simian James: To be fair to him, he put up with it. And a lot of people in his position wouldn't!

Simian Jas: He wouldn't have the tattoo though!

Question from Bob: Can someone ask Simian about the instruments they use on their albums. I have heard that they feature some weird and wonderful instruments on their albums. Do they collect them and which ones are their favourites?

Simian James: We do collect em. We go to car boot sales and markets and find what we can.

Simian James: We try and fix stuff, and Jas has the technical knowledge.

Simian James: We have a synth at the moment which makes every kind of sound you can imagine.

Simian Simon: Trumpets, bugles...

Simian James: Autoharps... just anything that makes a noise really.

Simian James: We record stuff into a computer like a tape machine, and we rearrange it, so it doesn't matter what the noise is, we can make it work...

Simian James: Unfortunately our instruments often break on tour!

Question from Rowan: What’s your favourite album of all time? Why?

Simian Simon: It changes quite a lot. Recently, one by Dr John - loads of people in a big room in New Orleans making music...

Simian James: For me, the White Album. I think the Beatles took songwriting with lots of different styles in the one album and managed to carry it through.

Simian Jas: I really like Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin. It turned me round to electronic music.

Simian Alex: It's such a hard question! It must be Now 9. It's just ram-packed with hits.

Simian Alex: I can't say what my favourite album is!

Simian James: Status Quo are a really good example. They keep going, stay true to their roots.

Simian Simon: And their album cover is brilliant.

Simian Alex: I got into a band so I could get into a BBC building, because I want to take over Ground Force and be the next Alan Titchmarsh!

BBC Host Tony, it's your question coming up next. Question from Tony: Will the next album be as different again?!

Simian James: We really don't know.

Simian Simon: I think it will be, because I'm sick of this one now!

Simian James: It's been out ten hours!

samjaynealice when and where did you all meet?

Simian James: In Manchester

Simian Alex: I was having my hair cut by James...

Simian James: Simon was making sofas and he wanted the hair on the floor to make big comfy pillows!

Simian Simon: Alex and Jas were old school friends. They met James in Manchester through the music scene...

Simian James: Podium dancing!

Simian Simon: I met them through mutual friends. I was doing my solo thing and they were doing their electronic, instrumental, 'we need a singer' thing!

Simian Simon: We just hooked up, they had a studio built in their front room, so we'd just record things whenever we had the opportunity really.

Simian Simon: We recorded an album just to see if it would work as a band, and then it came out! So it was like, let's be mates than! Simian ...then Question from Claire B: Are you playing any festivals next year/if you could which would you pick?

Simian James: We're headlining Glastonbury!

Simian Simon: That one's the best.

Simian James: It's the only festival worth going to.

Simian Simon: We don't know which festivals we're playing yet!

Simian Simon: The mobile disco is in New York.

Simian Alex: We're playing in London on Thursday...

Simian Simon: Then we're touring around Europe, then America, then the world is our oyster!

Simian Simon: We're doing a live set on 6 December in London.

Question from Petra: What's the first record you ever bought?

Simian James: Come on Petra!

Simian Simon: The Cure, cos there was a girl at school I fancied who was into them. It completely confused me. It turned me into a really moody, horrible teenager.

Simian James: Mine was Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix - not the original, obviously! It might have been my mother's actually... It's true!

Simian Alex: Mine was by Nick Kershaw

The band play Never Be Alone Again.

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