They were one of the most popular bands at the start of the noughties, capturing public attention with the release of their debut album Onka’s Big Moka.

But it was the cover of King Harvest’s Dancing in the Moonlight which sent Toploader’s popularity into the stratosphere, securing the then five-piece fame, millions in album sales and respectable chart positions.

Come 2003, it was a different story. Vilified by critics, the group was struggling to cope with the backlash from the music press following the release of their second album Magic Hotel and they soon found themselves dropped by their music label.

The paparazzi was having a field day too, splashing the band’s relationships all over the papers.

So it’s not surprising perhaps that Toploader decided to take an extended hiatus, disappearing from public view for six years.

The band’s guitarist Dan Hipgrave says: “We’d had a lot of success quite quickly and we were travelling the world, playing shows in different countries every day, it was a bit of a whirlwind and I don’t think any of us were able to sit back and take stock of it all.

“We were a very ambitious band, little tearaways that wanted to take the world over. But in the end, it was all a bit too much for us and we just disappeared. We were defunct, as it were.“

Now Toploader are back. There’s a difference to the line-up, lead guitarist Julian Deane has swapped music for management, they’re signed to another label, and the group is, in the politest possible way, a little more middle-aged.

Having sparked upon the idea to reform at Dan’s stag do, the group has just embarked on a nationwide tour, playing all of their old hits and some of their new songs too.

And yes, that does include Dancing in the Moonlight. “It doesn’t matter where we go in the world, it will always be the song we’re synonymous with.

“At first we found that too much to deal with, people kept banging on about that song, particularly as we’ve got all these others, but we’ve since realised we were just really lucky to have any song become a hit at all, we should be grateful.

“Dancing in the Moonlight really is a song that’s been ingrained into our society. It’s been around 13 years and when you’re gifted with a song that’s a hit all around the world, that people can relate to and fall in love with – it becomes part of the tapestry of music.“