Redd Kross are such an established West Coast pop institution that some people think that it should be the band suing the humanitarian organisation for stealing their name and logo, rather than the other way around. With their well-honed, overtly British sound, they've been touring the UK to show our Britpoppers how it's done. Lead guitarist, Eddie Kurdziel, discusses the joys of touring and being at one with your guitar rig.

You guys have been on this recording and touring lark for quite some time now.

Quite a while. Actually I've been in the band for about five years, and they hadn't toured overseas until I joined the band. Steve, our bass player, went to a Teenage Fanclub gig in LA, and their management invited us to tour with them, which was when we first came over here. Then it was basically a case of bring your guitars and a few pedals, and you get supplied with everything else. That can be a real nightmare, because you don't know what the last band hired out, especially with the head gear we use, because we use all-tube equipment, so if you're given a flat sounding amp, you'll sound shit for the whole tour.

How does playing gigs in the UK differ from playing in the States?

For one thing, the fans are a lot more attentive in the US. Sometimes you get intimidated by that, because you think they weren't clapping hard enough, or they weren't loud enough, or they weren't into it, but generally, yeah, they were. They're looking the whole time thinking 'what's he doing? Is he moving a pedal? What are they saying between songs?' — sometimes that's actually better.

Over here they listen, they clap, then stop right away. It's the same in Japan, it can be really loud and everyone cheers, then bang, everyone stops... then they're watching you. Then you speak: 'We don't know what to say, do you understand us?'

And everyone roars again: 'Yeaaaaaaaah!'

Then they stop again. So you get it different in all places.

In Chicago, there was this massive swirling mosh pit in front of us, and we have a lot of young kids and girls who come to see us, but these idiots in Doc Marten boots come flying by, hitting these girls in the head. We just stopped, but these guys were still going. 'Why don't you go to the gym if that's all you came for? You're moshing when there's no music!'

Redd Kross have been successful and on the scene for over 15 years now, but has the band 'made it'?

In my old band, we had a joke about going through a door marked 'Made It', then everything would be fine, and you wouldn't need to eat, sleep or take a crap anymore. I think 'making it' is about being able to write and record your music and go touring, and at the end of that, earn the respect of the people who bought the records, as well as being with a good record company so you can go write, record, and tour again. If you can do that, even at a low level, then that to me is making it. Personally, I consider myself really successful. I have a great guitar company supporting me, and an amplifier company supporting me, I have a wicked guitar sound on stage. I was thinking the other day about being in the sixth and seventh grade and being in my study classes, with my science book and looking at Richie Blackmore, Ted Nugent, and thinking about ail those sounds and I had a shitty little amp at home. But now being on stage and hitting that first power chord, I'm thinking 'yes, this is what I've always wanted'.

Redd Kross have their new CD, Show World, out on Island Records.