Ahead of their tour with The Artic Monkeys which kicks off October 22, and boasting fans such as Elton John, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller, The Strypes spoke to Hot Press about boy-band bashing, the abundance of male attention they receive and why rock and roll has returned to its youth.

The past year has been one like no other for teenage rhythm and blues band The Strypes. Exploding onto the music circuit is something many bands of their kind struggle with for years, even decades. But in twelve short months the young quartet from County Cavan has taken the music world by storm, and they did it their way.

Rejecting countless offers from record labels who wanted to dust them off and shine them up, the four lads reveal how Alex Turner inspired them to write their own songs and why they will never succumb to a controlled and polished version of themselves.

"When people first came along and said 'we love you' and all that sort of stuff", says guitarist Josh McClorey. "They followed that with, 'how can we absolutely, completely turn this around and make it not what you want at all?"

"People went in from totally the wrong angle", says bassist Pete O'Hanlon. "Certain labels would've gone for, 'Oh, we can get a guy that can write songs for you.' They didn't want to leave us to it."

Now signed to Mercury, the band say they can really demonstrate that they are more then just a ‘cute covers band’, their new home-grown material proving they can deliver a soulful rock and roll offering that is reminiscent of their idols, who range from The Rolling Stones to closer-to-home success stories like actor Chris O’Dowd (another avid follower of the band).

Check out the brand new issue of Hot Press for the full cover story in which the guys answer their critics, talk future plans and praise the divine power of rock and roll.