The success of Heat Waves is as curious as their spiralling popularity; Glass Animals became kind of a big deal while nobody was watching.

Heat Waves’ ubiquity is down to TikTok (where it went viral), generous playlisting across streaming services, and a ride or die Antipodean fan base that makes the band fan art such as song-themed Pez dispensers. “That sort of thing really kept me going during lockdown,” beams Bayley.

Australian audiences clicked with the group the moment they dropped the single Gooey from 2014’s Zaba. “I always look back on our first tour of Australia with this, like, amazing eye. It felt like the first time we played shows on the other side of the world and they were all sold out.

“We finished our set and we didn’t really have that much music at the time – people were so excited we ended up just playing some of the songs again. And then we stayed out at Ding Dong Lounge to, like, ridiculous hours of the morning and had a great time. And because of that Australia has like this incredible place in my heart.”

The group emerged along with other UK mavericks Alt-J, Jungle and Young Fathers then made good on their promise with second album, How To Be a Human Being, in 2016.

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Bayley very much runs the Glass Animals show. The bespectacled maestro plays and produces most of the material solo, and calls the shots on what they disseminate live.

“We always change up the set list everywhere we go. We’ve actually started learning some stuff we haven’t played in ages like Toes from Zaba and Helium from Dreamland. We hadn’t actually worked out how to play Helium… but I think we’ve cracked it.”

He’s “damn excited” about the tour: “We’re gonna lose our minds,” he says. And perhaps, too, they will drink a beer from a shoe.

“I’ve never done a shoey. Even before COVID I always washed my hands so much and now look at them [holds up scrubbed mitts]. I think drinking out of a shoe sounds absolutely disgusting. If I do it, it’ll have to be from a very clean glass,” he says, then widens his eyes.

“God, we actually have some giant shoes on the stage hanging from a double sized neon basketball net. So maybe there’s a chance.”

Glass Animals, Hordern Pavilion, July 16, John Cain Arena, July 19, www.ticketek.com.au

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