The obvious one for me is David Bowie. I first saw him when I was 14 and was really into him when I got into my first band when I was 16, and when I joined Ash I was listening to him non-stop. He was totally inspirational for

me in getting into music, and not just music, but every book and magazine I’ve read about him. He introduced me to nearly all areas of pop culture. I was obsessed with him for years. There was something incredibly attractive about him throughout all his different stages. I devoured everything – every book and every single album. I think the intelligence behind him was quite intriguing to me. Especially at the time, it was all Britpop when I was 16 and at school and everyone else was listening to Blur and Oasis and I was listening to Aladdin Sane thinking I was really cool!

It’s really cool now because we’re doing the Area 2 tour with him and Moby in America. Moby asked us to do it. The anniversary of Ziggy Stardust is coming up, and there are rumours he is going to get the Spiders back

together – minus Mick Ronson obviously – with all the costume changes and the whole Ziggy show. I’m wetting myself over that. It’s going to be fantastic. I might finally get to meet the old man. I don’t know what I’d say. It’ll be like the scene in the Church when Steve Martin meets the girl of his dreams and he can’t speak. I might try and avoid him really. I don’t want to shatter any illusions I have.

I know people who have met him, and for some naïve reason, I expect him to be quite fatherlike in that he’ll take me home and father me!

I don’t know whether it would be a good idea (to meet him). Another one of my heroes is PJ Harvey, mostly for being another female performer and guitarist and being so inspiring for me when I was learning to play. I actually met her and we were talking briefly. As I was walking away, I tripped over a bin and I fell over. Now every time I think of PJ Harvey I cringe at that moment. I don’t want to repeat that with David Bowie. It would be awful...