We've sung to prerecorded tracks and things like that, but we've never done a proper world tour with a band and everything.

If people want to compare us to the Shangri-Las, then that's all well and good. But those groups were put together. They were told what to sing, dressed up, neatly packaged. We're like the '80s version in that we're more outgoing, more involved in it.

If we'd had a Svengali manager and done what we would have been told, maybe we would have had a bigger, more hugely successful career.

We never came into the business with a plan beyond the next three months. It's all been a natural thing for us to go off and travel and then maybe record an album.

My dad was fine, but I have to say my mum was upset when I said I was leaving home.

Back in the day we didn't really have time to be a live act because we were always on TV or doing live interviews. We were being flown all over the world.

I definitely think we paved the way for other girl groups. We did it very much on our own terms without kowtowing to all the men in the business or being told what to do by anyone. For that we feel very proud.

We've always written from personal experiences.

The amount of women we've met that say that we were an inspiration to them growing up, has always been one of the best things about being in the band.

If I look back on my life, you can almost tell the story of it through pop songs. Romances as a teenager, your first kiss, first love, first heartbreak.