The four-piece band with their English lyrics have a solid rock history since their debut album Sister in 1995. The album launched Amparo (photo, second left - lead guitar) and Cristina Llanos (vocals, rhythm guitar) onto the music scene; fans of Nirvana’s grunge sound, full of post-punk vitriol, channelled into raging guitars. Jesús Antúnez (drums) and Samuel Titos (bass) complete the line-up that has propelled Dover into a new era.

I FIND Dover chilling out beside the stage, having just posed for photos with some of the die-hard fans. They don’t care about the recent change in sound; they look fresh and revitalized; clearly coasting a wave of success whatever they do.

Q: Your change in sound has foxed a lot of people. It’s very upbeat – does this match your lives now?

Amparo: Yes, we’re very upbeat, things are good for us now, with this Spanish tour and the reaction to Follow the City Lights which has been very positive.

Cristina: The change in sound has given us a whole new lot of fans – you saw some of them outside – they are young and keen, and the audience has a wild time!

Q: The name came from a make of clothes for girls from your parents' boutique. With your English name and English lyrics, has anyone mistaken you for an English band?

Amparo: People were confused at the beginning. But after 15 years in rock, most of the Spanish know us. Maybe in England or the US people are still confused. We have never sung in Spanish (well, just a couple of songs) and now, after so long, it wouldn’t even feel right for us. I can’t imagine a time when we would sing in Spanish; it could happen, but our first loves and influences in music were English, so that’s why the band sounds the way it does.

Q: Do you think girls in rock have difficult choices?

Amparo: It was never that difficult for us. We were always confident, we ploughed ahead and didn’t listen to anyone who said girls should be like this or that.

Cristina: And I don’t think we even thought about being girls. It was just that this is what we want to do. And right from the beginning we did it and we had each other.

Q: And being sisters helped?

Amparo: Oh yes, talking ALL the time, and we fight sometimes, but all sisters fight. Don’t they? But we are always able to share everything, and always talk...even after the scratches.

Q: You haven’t toured much in the UK

Amparo: No, we’ve played a couple of dates. There has not been enough interest to warrant a whole tour. Or at least, not yet. We have played in Germany, Mexico, and in the United States at the Viper Room in Los Angeles.

Cristina: We’ve had international tours, and played lots of gigs in Europe. We supported Oasis, although that was in Mexico – that was good. We finished up playing at the Acapulco festival.

Q: Have the press been positive about this change in direction for the band?

Cristina: Yes, the music reviews have been good, and in Spain, as you can see, the fans have loved the new sound. We have moved away from our hard punk rock sound, from the early days when we were heavy...I mean, we were really grungey, but that was then, and this is now.

Q: And this has meant a whole new set of challenges for playing live?

Cristina: Yes, it has made a real difference live, but I think the guitars enhance the pop sound.

Q: Has there been much press in the UK?

Amparo: We had some reviews before but not much. We’ve spoken to several UK rock magazines, and the only bad thing they ever say is that it’s a silly name! We had a review in the British magazine called Rock Sounds, and a few mentions on Radio One, (they called us fresh meat!) and some other magazines picked up on us, but I guess being Spanish they don’t know what to do with us.

Q: On the last album you have a track called Madrid. What is so great about Madrid – apart from being your hometown?

Cristina: Madrid is the best city because it is cosy but cultural. It’s just more personal than most big cities. I mean Brits in London are more civilised, but I would say come to Madrid and have fun! People in Madrid are great.

Q: This is important - do you prefer sex or chocolate?

Cristina: I think chocolate!

Amparo: Hmmm, me too, well, it depends...

Jesús: Definitely sex, and then afterwards, plenty of chocolate.

Samuel: I prefer both at the same time. That’s okay isn’t it?

Q: Music magazines talk about a Spanglish scene, Gwen Stefani name-drops bands like Los Abandoned and suddenly everyone is interested. What bands would you highlight?

Cristina: We love Amy Winehouse, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys are cool because of their lyrics.

Amparo: We all love The Strokes! And bands like Justice, they’re French and cool (an electro house band that has a rock influence).

Cristina: And we had this romantic idea of managing our own label to promote Spanish bands a while back, but we couldn’t make it work. (The label was called Loli Jackson after a track from the Devil Came to Me album.) It’s like real work! And we just couldn’t give it the time it deserved so we shut it down. But in terms of Spanish bands I would mention La Oreja de Van Gogh, and Fangoria, and of course, Nancys Rubias (a gay glam-rock pastiche band also promoted by Dover’s PA Mario).

Q: If you were in charge of ThinkSPAIN|today, what would you insist on telling Brits in Spain?

Amparo: I think we’d say God Save the Queen! We’ve all just seen the movie with Helen Mirren...we love The Queen! Or we’d say come to Madrid and hang out. No, in fact, I think you should write about the big issues, like domestic violence. Not enough is being done about what happens to women.

Q: What fashion brands do you wear; are there cool Spanish labels you’d recommend?

Amparo: Of course, we’d wear Chanel all day if we could. (Laughs derisively). Actually, we just buy stuff at Top Shop and H&M...

Cristina: We don’t go for a special look, I just buy whatever I buy.

Q: Maybe it feels strange getting a whole new set of fans after 15 years – my daughters asked how they can learn to play guitar like you guys!

Cristina: Fantastic! Well, Amparo taught me, so what can I say?

Amparo: Practice, practice, practice! It’s just best to get hold of a guitar and keep at it.

Cristina: Tell them to keep at it until they get good. Don’t get a teacher and learn their way, just play it yourself, there is no easy way, just practice and keep at it...

As the light fades, Cristina has to go off and warm up for the night’s gig. Amparo and the guys hang around for awhile, and say thanks for the interview. It seems that getting some British press is meaningful for the band, even though they’ve received multiple accolades and awards in Spain.