Left to right: Mark Roberts, Paul Jones, Cerys Matthews, Ned Richards, Owen Powell

In the UK Catatonia needs no introduction. The distinctive tunes of this all-Welsh indie-rock-pop band have been gracing mainstream airwaves ever since the release of "Mulder and Scully" in January 1998. Love it or loathe it, this was the track that propelled the band out of Cardiff and into celebrity. Eighteen months on, with the added success of their latest album Equally Cursed & Blessed, they are Wales' hottest export. TC's London correspondent Kate Crockett talks to Catatonia's "silver-tonsiled siren," Cerys Matthews, about her excitement at coming to Japan, mastering the art of chopsticks, and putting up with crappy British weather.

Catatonia plays the Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata next month. The band is one of a number of top international acts playing at the Festival from July 30 to August 1. Catatonia, along with another big British act, the Happy Mondays, plays on the final day, and it will be the band's first visit to Japan. Cerys is absolutely delighted.

"Not one of us have been to Japan before, but I've always wanted to go," she explains. "I've been waiting for about five years, since we signed with the record company. Everyone has been saying how good it is and they've been promising me every year. I can't quite believe it. I won't believe it until we actually arrive in Japan. It's absolutely going to be one of my highlights. I really can't wait."

You might not have heard Catatonia on your radio. Although they've released a Japanese LP of International Velvet - their double platinum success - and an album called Tourists - a compilation of their earlier singles - the band has only done limited PR and never played live here. Cerys is realistic but optimistic about their chances of cracking the lucrative Japanese music market. "I think it's early days for us in Japan," she says. "Our profile is quite low at the moment, which needs remedying. Three weeks ago we did a live TV linkup, which was amazing, and we've done a few interviews with Japanese magazines. But until you actually go there and show what you do live..."

After all the promotional obligations are over, Cerys can get down to the fun part: deciding what to see and do. "I love the gardens, the plants there and the food, so I can't wait to come and have a good walk around and see some of the parks and things like that. I think we're staying more than five days and, although it's going to be quite tight, we're going to make the effort. I've been told to go outside Tokyo and catch some of the countryside."

So... she's looking forward to seeing the sights, but how will she cope with the cuisine? "I love sushi, tempura and miso soup," she says. "I absolutely love the idea that you eat little pieces, a bit at a time. It just feels so much healthier. I don't like burgers and chips, so it suits me down to the ground." And the chopsticks test? "I'm excellent with chopsticks," she proclaims. "I use them all the time. I carry chopsticks 'round with me wherever I go and people always make fun of it because I eat steak with chopsticks. I get given them now by people and I've got a huge collection."

Well, Miss Matthews loves sushi, is a chopstick pro and can even muster up a little nihongo (arigato and irrashaimasse) - but does she know her J-pop? No, apparently not. She's never heard of SMAP or Glay.

Japan aside, where else would Cerys like to go in the near future? "I'd like to go to Tobago," she says, "I've heard it's absolutely tremendous." It seems a rather unusual choice until she reveals her ulterior motive. "There's a footballer called Dwight Yorke, who plays for Manchester United; he's got such a lovely smile and a lovely accent and he's from there." Fair enough.

As for the future of Catatonia, Cerys won't be drawn out on that one. "I think as a band we don't really look ahead that much; we take things day by day." She cites today as an example. I am speaking to her on the occasion of Catatonia's biggest ever gig, on their home turf, Cardiff, and it's apparently the grayest, wettest and stormiest day ever. "So that's more on my mind than the millennium or the future right now. It's absolutely pouring down. Mind you," she perks up, "I heard the Fuji Rock Festival had a typhoon there, was it last year?!"

Discography
Way Beyond Blue (1996)
The Sublime Magic of Catatonia (1996)
Tourists (1996)
Catatonia 1993/1994 (1998)
International Velvet (1998)
Equally Cursed & Blessed (1999)