The Essex trio are quite the "tour veterans" he says, a title that belies their youth. With Dave only 21, drummer Simon Taylor a mere 20 and bassist Joe Morgan also 21, the alt-rock outfit have had to grow up fast in a music world that views young boy bands pretty much as girl-thrillers, à la Busted and McFly. Dave adds:

"In our personal lives as well we've had to grow up a lot. Doing what we do we meet a lot of people. If you're slightly insecure and slightly introverted then people will walk all over you. Now we're all confident individuals. Some people judge us on our age but to us age is irrelevant, music is music."

"Some people judge us on our age but to us age is irrelevant, music is music." - InMe frontman Dave Macpherson counters those don't take them seriously because of their youth.

Their debut album Overgrown Eden, released January 2003, also got a grilling for just being full of "teen angst", yet the band were still nominated for Best Newcomer in the 2002 Kerrang! awards. Dave again is philosophical about the critique:

"Well we were teenagers so yeah there was quite a bit of teen angst, but that's not all what we're about. There are a lot more dimensions to the music - there's hope, melody and it's rockin'. The first album was about us getting our demons out of ourselves."

And has their song-writing matured since?

"Yeah it's completely different, it's matured tenfold. We wrote the first album over five years as teenagers but now we've got the opportunity to do InMe full-time. We've got closer together, we've got a better connection."

And they've also worked with huge rock producer Josh Abraham on their second album - as yet untitled and out this August. The use of Abraham, who has produced Limp Bizkit, Orgy, Korn and Linkin Park should certainly earn credibility points among the InMe cynics.

"On our first tour we just went full on, drinking too much and smoking too much... We now know our limits." - InMe on the learning curve that comes with the rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

Achieving such dizzy heights is a far cry from InMe's first gig, which Dave reveals was in his parent's lounge.

"Our first ever gig was in my front room with just some friends over! We were scared little boys, we were really rubbish but probably quite good for our first ever show."

It also wasn't long ago that InMe were performing as unsigned band Drowned. In fact, it was a stroke of luck that got them signed. Head of Music For Nations' A & R had come to see a headlining act but caught the last song of Drowned's set purely because a broken cymbal had delayed their gig by ten minutes. How does Dave feel about this good fortune?

"On the one hand we do feel we deserve it as we work hard but on the other hand we feel so blessed to have this opportunity. There are so many bands out there and so much music out there."

And now they're on the road again, promoting their single Faster The Chase, which became their second UK Top 40 single upon its release. That nearly every gig has been a complete sell-out is another sign that InMe are rising in the ranks of music stardom. But the youngsters aren't going to get off their heads while on this tour, as Dave explains:

"On our first tour we just went full on, drinking too much and smoking too much before the shows. But it's a learning curve. We now know our limits."

And knowing your limits at such a young age should stand them in good stead for a solid future in the world of rock.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees