And what does your other side project, Absinthe, offer that Wonderboom or the solo work can't?

Initially that was just an experiment we wanted to play with. Paul and I were living right up the road from each other at one stage and he'd come around to visit and we'd jam and drink coffee and talk about all sorts of crap. And, because we had a lot of time on our hands at that stage, we thought it would be a good idea to form a sort of supper club outfit that we could take to restaurants. It would keep us busy in the middle of the week and keep us entertained ? more like a self-indulgent thing, playing our favourite songs from classic bands. And we found that we have similar tastes in music, which is the big mutual thing for us, and it's just grown and grown as people got into the whole vibe. It's ended up being more of an actual show. It's not just about the songs and how we harmonise with each other and interpret the songs with an acoustic treatment, but also the banter between ? the way we compliment each other and diss each other at the same time. It's quite entertaining for the crowd.

Is there a bit of lead singer ego bashing going on then?

I think so and we're both humbled by it, so it doesn't get ridiculous ? it's real, it's genuine and it's usually spontaneous. A lot of the time it's been fuelled by alcohol ? absinthe to be more specific ? and now recently we've decided to not drink too much so the wheels don't fall off by the end of the set.

So what's more stressful? Playing around with Absinthe, rocking out with Wonderboom at a giant festival, a solo acoustic gig alone on stage, or stepping out in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'?

The solo thing. It's actually quite a pleasure when things get going, but a lot of people don't know what to expect. So it's stressful for me, because it's new for people. A lot of them are expecting me to start taking my shirt off and jump around singing 'Charlie' ? and it's not. It's me singing my heart out, baring my soul. Usually it's quite a vulnerable place to be, so sometimes it's uncomfortable for the people who aren't expecting it.

That for me makes it quite stressful because I want to have confidence in what I'm presenting and I also don't want to disappoint. I want to still be able to entertain and it's got to be able to stand up next to Wonderboom and any theatre performance I do.

Is the solo project now your top priority then?

I made a commitment to myself, whatever projects I do I'm going to do 100 percent. We had a pact with Wonderboom a couple of years ago that whatever else we did in our professional lives would always come second to Wonderboom. And nowadays I really feel like that mentality isn't necessary, because we start to neglect our side projects, we start looking at them differently and lack passion ? and now more than ever I want to do everything that I do 100 percent. I'm getting fulfilled and I feel the one feeds off the other ? it's hard to get stuck into a rut when you're busy challenging yourself and you're doing different things.