With a sound incorporating elements of The Cure’s edgy pop and Bloc Party’s sonic dynamics, they have tapped into something strong, vital and dynamic. And the most surprising part? These four guys – vocalist Sam Jolly, guitarist Jack Wharton, bassist Adam Neal and drummer Jack Garside – are all aged 18.

Eight Legs formed five years ago, when the four members were at high school. They’ve been friends for longer, and through that, have developed a shared love of music and books that has shaped their own sound. “Our influence is probably rooted in the British punk sound from '77 onwards,” they say. “We love The Smiths, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, The Libertines, The Cure, The Streets, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and David Bowie. We like artists who have something to say and artists who simply create to create. We also like loads of cliché literature: Hunter S. Thompson, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, JD Salinger etc etc.”

Initially taking the name Superheroes (and, unknowingly, treading on the toes of the Danish ska funk band, hence the change), the band have played and toured relentlessly, racking up support slots with The Cribs and The Futureheads along the way. They have self-released five recordings since 2003, and in January of this year were commissioned to produce the soundtrack for the Dior Homme fashion show in Paris, an honour previously bestowed on The Rakes, Beck and Razorlight. The band reworked their two-and-a-half minute pop song These Grey Days into a 15-minute elegy, creating the perfect ambience for Hedi Slimane’s monochrome collection. “That was one of the highlights of our career so far,” they say. “Playing in France, Germany and Austria has also been absolutely amazing. We love being on the road. We love being in the studio. We love writing new tunes and we love rehearsing.”