Carroll singer

“You won’t believe how nasty and political it got,” he says on the cross-channel blower from London. “I took them on for nearly a year – a complete pain in the arse, sure, but I wasn’t going to let them get away with it. The breakthrough came when I sent them a polite FAX saying, ‘Don’t make me come down there…’

“It’s not like I’m sitting on The White Album, but I sweated over those songs, and one day I’d like people to hear them.”

The annoyance factor in liberating Where Old Ghosts Meet has been allayed by Carroll signing a solo deal with Universal Records in London.

“I sent Universal a tape and within 24 hours got a call from their headman, John Kennedy, saying ‘let’s talk’. There was no, ‘Get back to us in six months’ or ‘Can we come and see you live?’ He liked the songs and wanted to do business.”

With the rest of The Hormones splitting after a Cranberries support tour – “There weren’t too many tears shed” – Carroll has decided to go it alone.

“I’ve learned down through the years that band democracy doesn’t really work,” the Dubliner reflects. “I’ve always had a very clear idea of how I want my songs to sound, which doesn’t lend itself to compromise. I’ve got a cracking live band which I’m going to bring to Ireland before Christmas, but when it comes to decision making, I’m the one in charge.”

While not due in the UK until early next year, Carroll’s first solo single, ‘Idiot World’, hits Irish racks this week and finds him at the height of his power pop powers.

“It’s not bad, is it?” he says modestly. “Lou Giordano, who’s also worked with Sugar Ray and Goo Goo Dolls, did the mixing in New York and we’ve had some good, early feedback from radio. It’s just nice to be releasing records again.”