Editors [ tickets ] drummer Ed Lay has learned about the perks of stardom. After months of grueling tours, Lay has just finished a few hours of pampering to loosen up a bit.

"I literally just had a massage, so I feel very good," Lay said from Manchester, England, where the band was set to play the Academy.

"I've never had one before. It was quite different. It was very painful, basically, because we've been on tour. I felt really knotted-up and very stiff and tense. I just put myself in and she absolutely massacred me."

Lay and his band--vocalist/guitarist Tom Smith, guitarist Chris Urbanowicz and bassist Russell Leetch--earned fame in the United Kingdom with their debut "The Back Room," which entered their home country's charts at No. 13. It eventually reached No. 2, thanks in part to the U2-inspired hit "Munich."

The album is set for release in the US on March 21, and will be accompanied by a North American tour that includes a stop at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX.

liveDaily: Are you excited about playing SXSW in Austin?

Ed Lay: Absolutely, yeah. It's not that hot there at the moment is it?

No, not at all.

Good. That means I won't sweat too badly when I'm drumming away. Everyone I've spoken to that's been there before has said it's absolutely one of the best experiences they've ever had with being around for a week with so many bands, so much to do, so many things going on.

What do you hope to get out of SXSW?

I hope to get some fans, basically. I think as a live band, we're real confident at the moment. I guess it's just about getting out there and impressing people. Hopefully, we'll do that. I'm hoping to get a lot of free stuff, as well. Maybe there's a company that's there that wants to give me clothes and things. [Laughs] I've become really good at blagging things. The first thing I do when I'm in somebody's office, "Do you have any new CDs?" That's my line at the minute. I'm doing pretty well at the moment. If you don't ask, you don't get. I'm like a kid in a sweets shop when it comes to that.

You must be looking forward to the American release of your album.

That's a big thing for us, obviously. We were quite surprised that so many people knew of us when we went over there for a little meet-and-greet earlier this year. Of course, it's such an important market, and it's one we're really interested in having a crack at. I know it works so differently over there than the music industry does in the UK. We'll see. We're excited about the album coming out. It's weird, because it's been out for so long here. We've been touring it for nine months, or whatever. It will be strange coming out there and playing to people who haven't actually heard the record before. Back here, everybody knows the songs by now. It's sort of back to the grassroots, really. It's exciting. I'm sure we're [up] to the challenge.

It must be interesting to sort of start all over again.

Absolutely. We're excited about breaking in the United States. It's definitely the main thing for this year. Last year, we were releasing our debut album. This year, we want to try and impress as many people as we can in over in the States. It's incredibly important. I'm sure we'll be spending a lot more time than this initial two months over there.

Describe Editors' songwriting process.

Tom grew up in a really, really beautiful part of England, and that's where his family lives. Ever since he's written music, he's written it in the comfort of his own home. He really enjoys going home, and feels comfortable around his family and his surroundings. He sort of writes a basic tune and maybe some lyrics. We'll get together in a rehearsal room later on, and we actually turn that little seed of an idea into a little blossoming plant. We water it by adding little bits to it and changing the songs around, and turn it into a [finished] track, essentially.

So it's more of a collaborative effort?

Yeah, sure. But it definitely starts with Tom. I've tried. I've got my little acoustic guitar out on occasion. But I'm absolutely talentless when it comes to that. It starts with him, and then we add to it and make it a tune.

You've started writing a new album?

Sure. We have to. We have a couple songs that we're playing in our live shows over here that aren't on the album. We're definitely thinking about it and making moves to start it. I'm sure we'll try and get some time off later in the year and go into the studio, record the ideas and see exactly which direction we're going to move in with this album. We're definitely looking ahead.

What was it like to work with producer Jim Abbiss?

He's an amazing chap. He has worked with Bjork, DJ Shadow. He did the Kasabian record. His sort of background is really kind of dance-y. I think you'll find some running through our debut that's got that sort of [sound]. It's not just a rock band. It's got that sort of dance element to it. It's definitely a big influence on the record. And he was wicked to work with. We were all relaxed, and he made us all feel really comfortable. For a debut album, I think that's very important. We were very new to finding a good studio. We had done a couple demos before in crappy little holes of a studio. But the first time in a studio built specifically for making professional records, we all got a little bit nervous. He made us feel at ease straight away. I think he got the best out of us.

What is the most important thing you learned from him?

Look at it, see if it's good. If it's not good, get it out. Don't think too much about how to improve it. Let it sort of evolve naturally. Just trust your instincts. I know it's very cliche, but it was a very instinctive album to make. We did it very quickly. There wasn't too much messing around. If it was a good take, then leave it. Just move on to the next thing and keep it fresh.

How long did it take to record the album?

Only about two-and-a-half to three weeks. It was very quick. We were all a bit annoyed, because we were staying in a residential studio and the chef was amazing. Every meal we had was just amazing. We were quite disappointed in ourselves that we'd done it so quickly and we had to leave. [Laughs] If we had stayed on a bit longer we would have gotten a few more incredible meals out of it. Instead, I had to go home and cook for myself. It was a bad professional call.

It sounds like the studio was a great atmosphere.

We kept it pretty much as a regular day. We didn't go crazy into the night. We didn't have too many crazy nights. It wasn't in a city. It was in a county named Lincolnshire. It was in the middle of nowhere. There were no shops around. It was an old chapel in the countryside. There was a pub up the road that closed before 11 every night. That was it. There was nobody else around. It was just us on our own. We were concentrating on making the record. That was all we were doing.

What do you think about people comparing you to Joy Division and The Smiths?

We're being compared to The Smiths now? Brilliant. Joy Division, we get it all the time, but I really don't think we're very much like them. Maybe in terms of intensity. Our live show, that's what we've really sort of built our reputation on. Joy Division were supposedly an outstanding live act. I wouldn't know. I wasn't born before Ian Curtis killed himself. I have no idea. My sort of influences were bands that I saw growing up. Rock bands. If I ever was lucky enough to be in a band, I wanted to be able to make as much of an impact as they did on me and perform really intense live shows.

What rock records did you listen to?

I listened to mostly American stuff--Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins. There's a band called Therapy. They come from Ireland. They're rubbish now. Absolutely awful. But, to be honest, they're not very good musicians either. Except their drummer. He was amazing. They just write really cool songs. I used to go and watch them and just go crazy. That's what I was into.

You said you like The Smiths. Do you know Morrissey is playing SXSW?

Is he really? Brilliant. We were asked to support him on his UK tour. I guess it was his decision. I can't imagine Morrissey letting anybody else make any kind of decisions like that for him. He invited us, but we're so busy we couldn't fit it into the schedule, which is a shame. Wow, what an artist. He's got so much determination. He knows exactly what he wants, which I really admire.