Tell us about the new album. "We got back together in 2010 and thought we'd rather not just go out and play the same old songs. We've been left alone to make an album that we really wanted so it's a different direction for us. It still harks back to the old Toploader but we're older now, things change."

How would you descibe your sound now? "It's a bit darker than the first album but we were in a totally different frame of mind back then. We've lost our lead guitar player so we've got more space. Dan is playing guitar on his own now and he's a lot more raw and edgy and it really works."

What makes you different from all the other bands who have reformed in the last couple of years? "We got back together in a natural way, it wasn't for a paycheck. We hadn't really spoken for about five years, then we met up again at Dan's stag do. We'd had a bitter split and had all thrown our toys out the pram, so it was nice to have a laugh again. It was like therapy really, we got everything out of our system."

Why did you split up back in 2003? "The first album was really successful and there was lots of pressure on us. The record company worked us to the bone. We toured relentlessly and did promotion for what seemed like three or four years. It just all imploded. As a band we were knackered and needed a break, both physically and creatively, to think about what we needed to do. This time around has been so much nicer. We're making the music that we want to make and everyone is a bit more chilled. We're trying to make records rather than trying to run a corporate business.We probably wouldn't have made the new album if had we stayed together."

What were the highlights of your career? "Dancing in the Moonlight is obviously the one that a lot of people know us for, back in the day it was one of those tunes that became so big it was almost bigger than the band. We've done big stadium tours, supported Bon Jovi, sold millions of records. Things like that are incredible highlights for a young band."

Are you surprised that people don't realise Dancing in the Moonlight is a cover? "Well, we don't advertise the fact that it was. It was a big hit in the States by King Harvest but no one knew it over here. Even though it was a cover a lot of it comes down to how you interpret it. It definitely needed to be put to bed for a few years, we had to delete it at one point because people were still buying it when we were trying to promote other records."

Why did you choose that song to cover? "We were working with an American producer at the time and he knew it. We sat in the studio and played with a few different ideas and between us we came up with that opening riff. We could almost hear it on the radio."

You've played with Bon Jovi, Coldplay and Muse. Do you resent the fact that they're doing massive gigs and you're still doing smaller ones? "People have different career paths. As a band we came out at the same time as Muse and Coldplay but they obviously maintained their success and went on to make great records. We just took a different path."

What have you been doing in between the band? "I lived in LA for a few years and wrote music for films and adverts. I wrote one for a film called Skeleton Key that starred Kate Hudson. It was nice to write it for me as opposed to writing for the band. I had a family, all the fun stuff that isn't sitting in a van with Toploader."

Have you been to Dunfermline before? "We've played a lot in Scotland but we've not been to Dunfermline. It's going to be nice to see the fans. We put on a wicked live show, it's a great night out and the songs still sound great. Scottish audiences have always been behind it. We love making music and we're enjoying getting out there again."

Toploader play Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, on Monday 4th March. Box office: 01383 602302.

The winner of our competition to see the show is Kim Kellett