More about: Arctic MonkeysQueens of the Stone AgeMini Mansions

"Prett-ehhh, prett-ehhh, prett-ehh good," smiles Mini Mansions' Michael 'Shoes' Shuman, about how their Reading + Leeds sets went down this weekend. "Sorry, we've been watching a lot of Curb Your Enthusiasm on the van rides."

Watch our video interview with Mini Mansions below

No need to apologise. A Larry David sense of understatement is probably the best way to handle the runaway year of success they've had. A huge collaboration with Alex Turner brought them to the attention of the mainstream, but the sheer calibre of the exquisite Great Pretenders and the intensity of their live shows is what has made them one of the bands of the year - well outside the realm of Queens Of The Stone Age. They're far from being 'just a side-project'.

"I'm not pissed off about (being called a side project)," Shuman tells Gigwise. "I think it's slightly derogatory if you knew how much work we put into this band and record...I've seen side-projects, I've seen them play a week of shows in the middle of major markets and then go away - that's not who we are." 

Watch our video interview with Mini Mansions at Reading below 

But 'just a side-project' is not the only misconception about the band. Just Google Mini Mansions and you'll find another hilarious falsity

"There's one thing," laughs Shuman. "Our first show ever, in 2009 - some guy wrote about it and decided to compare us to Fountains Of Wayne. So now it's forever engrained in the internet that we are comparable to Fountains Of Wayne."

And while Alex Turner helped the group get some much-deserved attention, it would be unfair to say they're piggybacking - this is a great band who we love on their own terms.

"By the way, I love to see the look on people's faces when they realise he's not coming out - it's priceless," Michael smirks. "I think moreso, it started being able to open up the Monkeys and play in front of their fans, and that was like the great introduction. That was when he started coming out and doing the song with us on tour."

He continues: It's funny though...just as being in Queens doesn't open up the same doors, it's a different band and most of the public don't read too deeply into all that. It says 'featuring Alex Turner', though - I guess you can't get around that."

And while still caught up in the momentum of their whirlwin of success, Mini Mansions tell us that after Reading + Leeds they'd be flying to Los Angeles and back into the studio. 

"Thoughts about the next masterpiece?" said Tyler Parkford on keys. "We've been writing that for a while now, and we're still writing. I can't really give you much though, at the end of the day it's going to be a lot wilder. We're kind of just on this wild journey through the Amazonian abyss of things that catch our eye, you know. You've got to be quick about it, and we're pretty quick when it comes to writing. 

"I'm excited about it, and think a lot of people will enjoy it - for sure." 

And as for other distractions, Tyler is working on an 'origami collection in time for March', while Shuman is to hit the road again with Queens Of The Stone Age. 

"We have a show next month, so - getting the band back together."

Queens or no Queens, Mini Mansions are a real factor in making 2015 so good for music. Yup. It's been pretty good, pretty good. 

More about: Arctic MonkeysQueens of the Stone AgeMini Mansions