Stereophonics' bassist on their new album and why music is the best thing in his life.

NEVER mind the heat, bring on the music. That's what Stereophonics' bassist Richard Jones remembers of their last concert at Fort Canning Park in 2008.

"That was really good," he said over the phone from his home just outside London. "No, we didn't mind the heat. We can take the heat. As long as it doesn't rain."

The Welsh rock band will be back at Fort Canning Park on April 30 for a one-night-only gig. Jones said they're excited to be back to perform their new tracks from their latest album, Keep Calm And Carry On. The title was actually lifted from a proposed World War II propaganda poster.

"But it never got used," said Jones. "And it was forgotten until somebody dug it out from a warehouse or something in the early 1990s. It's a really good phrase for encouraging people and we felt, with a lot of the content on the album, it really suited the album. So we chose to steal it and use it as our own."

Reviews for both the album and current tour have been a mixed bag, and this is the first time their album didn't get to No 1 in the UK charts since 2007's Pull The Pin. But Jones said it doesn't matter.

"We were competing in the charts against the X-Factor winners ... But we were prepared for that, we knew we couldn't compete with, what, 20 million people watching X-Factor every week," he quipped.

"We're really proud of the album. We thought we'd make it something different and we don't mind what the critics say, as long as people like the album and come to the concerts. We did the album for ourselves, you know, in the studio. And only when we released it did we start worrying about what other people think."

Still, Jones is grateful for their fans' devotion and he said that's what keeps the band going.

"It's phenomenal that we still have the support of these people, enough to fill up these large arenas that we've been playing in for years now," he said. "We've learned how to please the different crowds, I think. We like being put on the spot."

The band likes performing so much that Jones said even a bad show is still a good show. Well, kind of.

"There have been many gigs I'd rather forget. But the thing is, if I have a bad show, I can guarantee that the other members of the band will think it was a great show, and vice versa," said Jones.