This photo, taken when Pulp were  joined - brilliantly - on stage for "Weeds" by Ross & Jason at the start of each set on the UK dates, shows that uncontrollable Fat Trucker enthusiasm. Jason (right) doesn't seem to have noticed he doesn't have anything to actually play. Not to worry! 

There’s only two things you need to know about the Fat Truckers. One - they use synthesizers. Two - THEY ROCK LIKE FUCK. I know this to be true because Ben Fat Trucker announced it (very politely), to the stunned - into - silence Brixton Academy audience on the final night of their support slot for Pulp on Nov 30. Both true statements, mind. And even if this was all there was to know about the light sabre wielding Sheffield group they’d still be the most exciting night out (or in, with a record player) you could hope for. But guess what! There’s so much more.

Fresh faced after a grueling 10 nights of supporting Pulp (spent mostly in shared rooms in cheap hotels, unlike the Hilton splendour of their hosts) the Fat Truckers returned to their Sheffield day jobs where I cornered a couple of them and asked them how it all began...

FT’s: "Fat Truckers began back in the 70's, when Ross, Mark & Ben were born; Mark comes from some no mark mining village on the outskirts of Doncatraz (Doncaster). If you look closely at his finger nails you can still make out coal dust underneath them. Ross comes from Southey Green, Parson Cross (Sheffield), a land full of gas sniffers & bike thieves. Ben hails from Hunters Bar (Sheffield) back in the days when Butchers & Bakers ruled, not trendy wine bars full of footballers and wedding dress shops. Jason & Ginger Dave are members of the band. We love each other dearly". This comes across both on stage and off - the Fat Truckers are clearly bezzies, unlike Pulp, who all hate each other. (JOKE)

It was the Sheffield connection that brought them to the attention of Jarvis, who offered to let them remix Sunrise for the first single release from We Love Life. So thrilled was he with the results that he offered them top support slot for the entire tour. Were they shit scared or what?

FT’s: "It was a bit scary at first, but when we got into the swing of things (ragga swing that is) we were alright about it. Even more scary was the thought of playing big venues, but when we got on the road, even after the very first gig it felt right".

It’s fair to say that by the end of the tour, the Truckers looked pretty comfortable on stage at the huge Brixton Academy, despite the half arsed welcome they received almost every night. Was this the reaction they had anticipated from a hardcore Pulp following?

FT’s: "They were A LOT different than we expected, they seemed very possessive over the band, It was like we had to justify being Pulp’s support. This hasn't pissed us off because we would sooner 20% of the audience loved us & 80% hated us than everyone think we were alright. Whatever, we got a reaction!"

They got that alright. Was it enjoyable apart from that?

FT’s: "Yes we enjoyed the tour, the highlights being drinking Pulp’s rider, doing Nick Banks' cross words, stitching up Richard Hawley - oh yes! And all that posh scran (food)".

So the stories of bar room brawls and hate mail aren’t true then, you all ended up good friends?

FT’s: "We always knew Pulp to be sound, and we couldn’t have wished for nicer band & crew, they well sorted us out (speechless really)".

That’s cos Pulp are such lovely people. I happen to know that Candida, being the hardest drinking member of Pulp, spent more than one night till the very early (or late) hours propping up the bar with the Truckers (the others all go straight to bed after the concerts) (Apart from Hawley of course). There’s a lot of respect between the two groups - when asked if they’d cover a Pulp song, the reply is ""Underwear" because it fucking rocks"; and Nick Banks admits that "They grew on me. At first I thought "‘ere we go again....." but y'know, they are OK. My fave was 'Multiplex' but if 'Superbike' was a bit shorter then that would be up there too! Get Ross behind a kit!!!"

On stage, the Fat Truckers are even louder & harder than on record. A LOT louder. But that’s cool, because there’s nothing like that feeling you get when you’re standing just a bit too close to the speaker and you feel that bass go wham! right through you, knocking you backwards. Or maybe that’s just me. I don’t even know what it is that does that - could be any one of the array of ancient synths that makes up their sound. What was that about a voltage controlled oscillator??? Anyone??

Mention the Cabs and you’re likely to get twatted. It’s like suggesting that because they come from Sheffield and don’t bother with guitars they must by definition sound the same. BIG BOLLOCKS. It’s like suggesting Oasis sound like Joy Division. They don’t. Why should they?

So you can forget about that. I am, however, going to stick my next out and say that some of the grooves remind me of Suicide, and also if you like Add N to (X), then you stand a good chance of liking the Truckers. But really, the hit you get live is more like good old fashioned techno than anything else. Too loud for the more delicate Pulp fans (but you will insist on standing right at the front during the support) but NOT LOUD ENOUGH for deaf old bastards like me, the FT’s sound is big and hard and heavy, and I love it.

The most memorable moment of the tour, apart from Mark’s top dancing and Ben’s antics with the light sabre (oh yes - the light sabre) must have been when Pulp’s Production Manager secretly filmed the FT’s dressing room at Brixton Academy and then, unbeknownst to absolutely everyone, managed to get the resulting film projected onto the video screen during their final set. The camera retraced the backstage route to the Truckers' dressing room in ‘Through the Keyhole’ style, entering the grim confines of a cell like blue painted room lit by a too - bright strip light and strewn with empty cans, clothes and bags, through which the invisible cameraman started to rifle, soon finding several items of - obviously not planted - women’s underwear. Well, it was funny at the time.

The Truckers set list consisted of songs from their first two singles, the Teenage Daughter / Multiplex 7" (on Cercle Records) and the recent Superbike / Favvers Plimsoles double A side (on Roadtrain Recordings), which they put out themselves in November, plus The Ron is Back, Motions, and Anorexic Robot. What’s next for the Truckers then?

FT’s: "We are thinking about our third single, don't know what to release as yet we have a few ideas, we'll keep you guessing. It will be released on our own label (Roadtrain Recordings) - Long live heavy Czech vinyl!". (The 7"'s are pressed from the heaviest, densest material known to man - certainly no relation to any vinyl I’m familiar with). "Now the tour has finished, we're getting back to writing some new tunes and doing a few more gigs, the XFM party on 12 Dec, Desperate party 13 Dec". The Desperate night was a big success, with people actually dancing - yes, dancing! Not covering their ears and scowling before heading for the bar.

It's good to know that the Truckers plan on staying in Sheffield, not making the mistake so many groups have done and made the move to London in search of fame and fortune. ("WHAT! Live in London? We like our bogies green not black"). As for the future and my plan for them to take over the world - well even they aren’t that optimistic: "Anyone who does anything different nowadays gets instantly sidelined, we doubt the music "industry" will ever know we exist!".

Not if I have anything to do with it. Buy everyone you know a copy of "Teenage Daughter" for Christmas and play it instead of the Queen's speech. 

The singles and top Fat Truckers T-shirts are available from The Store record shop, 107 Devonshire Street, Sheffield S3 7SB. Get yourselves down there now.

Should be an article on them in The Guardian on Friday Dec 21st.

Fat Truckers play Commercial Suicide at the Night & Day Bar, Oldham Street, Manchester 31 January.