XYZ: For those who haven’t heard Parka, please describe yourself.
Parka: Our music is all about having fun and enjoying life. I don’t know about anyone else but when I go to see a band, I don’t really want to hear someone singing about how shitty their life is. We just want to transfer as much fun and energy through our music into the listener. It’s like the old two-tone song ‘If You Wanna Be Happy For The Rest Of Your Life’… then go see Parka! Okay, I added the last bit, but you get the idea.

You’ve been described as ‘must-see’ by Q Magazine. What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?One gig that really sticks in my head was seeing The Zutons for the first time in my local bar. It was tiny and there were about 50 people there, all crammed into a teensy little back room. No-one knew what to expect and they were the same in that they just injected this massive burst of energy and everyone went mental! That was pretty cool.

You’re playing The Great Escape. When was the last time that you wanted to make a great escape?Any job that I’ve had in the past; I’ve had some pretty horrific ones. I’ve picked up golf balls at a driving range when the cart was broken. I’ve worked in a fish and chip shop through one of the hottest summers, standing sweating in front of a fryer every day. I’ve also been a bar mascot, and had to dress up as a big bear and do dances every five minutes…

You have a song called ‘Bosses and Bastards’. Who is the band’s biggest bastard?
Well, Nootch is about 6ft so technically he’s the biggest…

Zippy from Rainbow appears in your video for ‘Better Anyway’. How cool is Zippy in real life?
We didn’t get to meet him. He refused to come out his dressing room. Something about him and Bungle having an argument over Zippy’s new ‘lady friend’. You know what these big stars can be like. He actually insisted on filming the scene in his dressing room too. We eventually got a screen up so we could make it look like he was in a grabber machine in Blackpool. That’s Hollywood for you.

Words by Mo Mostowfi