“I was gardening for Carl Barat for a while? Is that rock’n’roll?”

“Actually, the way we met our manager was that Aoife was gardening for her. She found out Aoife was a singer in a band and gave us our first gig.”

“That’s not very rock'n'roll, it’s quite the opposite.”

London-based Irish trio whenyoung aren’t the conventional type. The band, who serve up what can only be described as The Cranberries do indie pop, formed and found their feet in the UK capital and are now making the trip back across the pond to play their first headline show in their home country.

“Obviously we're Irish, but we don't feel especially like we came out of an Irish scene. We moved over here not knowing any bands or anything, so we did have to start from the bottom,” explains guitarist Niall Burns when quizzed on how they’ve essentially completed the ‘How To Make It In The Music Industry As An Irish Band’ booklet backwards.

“But yeah, it's good that we've been able to do it here so it automatically builds traction for us in Dublin.”

Andrew Flood, whenyoung’s drummer agrees saying that “it’s easier to get known here and move across to Ireland than the other way around”.

It’s an intriguing standpoint, but, given that so many other bands, who despite playing regular sold-out shows across Ireland, have failed to make an impact on the UK scene, it’s one that is hard to argue with. Not many Irish bands have played shows, even as support, in London’s famed Alexandra Palace venue having hardly tuned a guitar in The Mercantile, let alone Whelan’s or The Workman’s Club.

“I guess there are two ways of doing it but we’ve made it work for us here. We played loads of shows every week for ages and started to meet the same bands and promoters and people were quite helpful. That's kinda how we managed it,” says bass player and vocalist Aoife Power. “I guess it feels easier as there are so many opportunities here.”

It’s immediately evident that whenyoung have worked extremely hard to get to where they are and perhaps it’s that persistence and drive that has opened up so many doors for them that have previously remained shut for others. Would they advise other Irish bands to do the same though?

“I don't think so because that's just how it worked for us. We all moved here not planning to start a band and it just kinda happened as a hobby I guess. It was just our way of doing things but it works differently for everyone,” says Aoife.

Niall chimes in at this point with a line that could book end the biographies of many an Irish act; “I guess the only thing about trying to ‘make it’ in Dublin first is that you run the risk of getting trapped there.”

The previously mentioned Ally Pally - as it’s more-fondly known - show in support of The Vaccines is just one of a number of big support slots for whenyoung in recent weeks and months, having previously warmed up for Declan McKenna, Dream Wife and Superfood, among others. A valuable learning curve, no doubt.

“The Declan McKenna shows were the biggest education for us,” says Andrew. “His fans are so dedicated to him but were also so willing to get on board with us and listen to our music and cheer us on.”

“Everyone we tour with works really hard and take it really seriously,” adds Niall. “They have fun and stuff, but they have that balance of work and fun and I think we've learned that from them.”

The Dream Wife tour included a stop off in Dublin at the Workman’s Club, but other than this and a small show at the capital’s BelloBar, the band have little experience of Dublin’s live scene. At least not in their current guise as this writer realised during research that he had previously reviewed whenyoung at the Hard Working Class Heroes festival in 2015. Back then, however, they were known as Sisters.

“No you didn’t!” exclaims Andrew, “That wasn’t us,” he says, laughing.

“I remember that review…” Power interjects, “...bit harsh!” she adds in a mocking tone that doesn’t make it immediately clear whether she is serious or not.

A quick explanation - the review was actually quite positive, with criticisms reserved for sound issues rather than the band - and the offer of a reconciliatory pint later, Niall lauds the knowledge gained from playing those kind of shows in the past.

“HWCH and that kind of stuff was a learning curve. Even as a live band, we're a totally different band nowadays though, none of that Sisters material has survived.”

Speaking of industry-type festivals, whenyoung are one of over 20 Irish acts playing at the UK’s south-coast take on SXSW, Brighton’s The Great Escape. Is the approach to an festival aimed at industry folk any different to a regular show?

“Yeah, we went last year, just as punters, it’s an amazing festival, we can’t wait for that one. That said, no we approach all of our shows the same way. You have to do what you do.”

The band have just released a video for new single The Collector, a song, Aoife tells us, which isn’t necessarily about one thing but does lean heavily on the idea of being a bit lost in life and searching for meaning. “It's just like that feeling of 'what's it all about', you can have that anywhere. It’s kind of a big one,” she laughs.

The video itself was directed by the band and appears to demonstrate the isolation that comes with living in London. The idea that you can feel totally alone despite several thousand other people doing the same things as you day in day out.

“Yeah, that's what we tried to show in the video. Everyone's doing the same thing, even if they're in a different place. It's not restricted to London either.”

Speaking of life in London as Irish folk, the conversation drifts to the upcoming referendum on the 8th amendment, which all three are firmly behind. Unfortunately, they’ve been living abroad for too long to go home to vote. Even if they could, the band are on tour at the time.

The band become more vocal when it’s suggested that some PR or managers of bands could be worried about alienating certain fans by publicly expressing their standpoints on polarising issues such as Repeal the 8th.

“ I don't think we care about that, because by not saying something you could also alienate people so that's not something we worry about. We're not going to be quiet on important issues just because some people wouldn't be happy with it,” says Aoife pointedly.

Niall agrees, saying: "I don't think there's any difference being in a band. If you're vocal as a person in general, you should be the same as a band. I think, if you have a platform, if we have any platform at all, it's important. You should say something, you don't want to hide your opinions."

whenyoung play The Grand Social, Dublin on Thursday May 3rd. Tickets here.