Trio rub shoulders with indie stars

ALL HAIL HYENA! - vocalist Jay Stansfield, bassist Tom Cross and drummer Rob Ashworth - bagged a warm-up spot last month on the Manchester leg of the international tour.

"You know when you open a present you've been waiting for for months, even years? It's not even that feeling," said Jay. "It was just a dream gig, one of those golden opportunities. We've been massive fans for years, from the beginning."

The tour marks the release of Californian band Grandaddy's first album, Last Place, in 11 years. Having disbanded in 2006, they briefly reformed for a live reunion in 2012. This year, however, the band made a full return, releasing their album on Danger Mouse's label, 30th Century Records.

What's more, Grandaddy originally decided against additional support, so when another slot opened up, ALL HAIL HYENA! jumped at the chance.

The 20-minute set saw them deliver their energetic brand of math rock to a full house at The Albert Hall, Manchester, their vibe serving as a foil to the main act's "beautiful, cutting-edge and melancholic" music.

Granddaddy - Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Tim Dryden, Jim Fairchild and Kevin Garcia - deliver indie rock wrapped up in waves of Americana and psychedelic pop.

"We're intense while they're melodic," said Jay. "But the audience warmed to us - it was brilliant."

The lads even spent some downtime hanging out with the band after the gig, chatting and having items signed.

"It was amazing. It's like a level-up for us," Jay added. "People perceive us differently now - they see we're a good band. Supporting someone famous: it's important and we've worked really hard [for it]."

ALL HAIL HYENA!'s next project is a London exhibition on Saturday, July 8th, celebrating 40 years of punk.