Stuart Staples has been for a pre-gig walk. As lead singer of Tindersticks, coming towards the end of the first leg of their European tour, it must be a rare simple pleasure.

The band have just arrived from Luxembourg, and we’re sat on the balcony of Bruges’ Concert Hall, the city milling around beneath us, bathed in wintry sun. “A day like today is ideal,” he says, having soaked in his new surroundings. “A city centre venue really helps you get a sense of where you are.”

The ‘Sticks have been pinballing about Europe, through Cork and Cologne, Eindhoven and Haarlem. They’re not the most compact outfit, all saxophones and cellos and keyboards…does that make a European tour difficult?

“Not really,” says a resolutely unstressed Staples. “Everyone knows what they’re doing. We started off the year as a 12 piece band, and have evolved (they’re currently a seven piece), changing all the time, playing music in different ways. It’s been exciting.”

Exciting is something the band have striven for since they released their first album, Tindersticks, in 1993, to great critical acclaim. Their music is full of lush orchestration and melancholy romance, complemented by Staples’ soulful baritone.

Their live shows are anything but mundane: theatrical venues, five night residencies with different themes and, on one European tour, the addition to their numbers in each city of a pre-rehearsed local string section on the night – something not many bands would risk. “That was quite full on,” agrees Staples. “But it did help you feel more a part of the place, rather than a band just walking in with our instruments.”

Their latest album, The Hungry Saw, is widely considered to be their best in some time, the title track rendering love as akin to heart surgery performed by an insistent, devilish carpenter.

Most of the new material was written and recorded in Staples’ home studio in Limousine, France, but he insists this didn’t mean it was a different process. “Recording an album is about how people feel at that time, trying to capture a series of moments. The studio was brand new and it was exciting, and I think that’s why it was so quick – I thought if we took more than eight days to do it, there’s something wrong.”

Staples is a long time urbanite who has often written about the dubious pleasures of city life; doesn’t he miss the urban chaos of London? “I miss the people in London more than the place, even though it’s a fantastic city, After 20 years living there, I think of it now as a great place to visit.”

The Hungry Saw is the first Tindersticks album in five years, the band having since undergone a change of personnel, always a tricky selling point with the fans. Were there any nerves? “Not nerves exactly. I was interested to see how people would take it, and take us playing live. We’ve changed. We’re less insular, but the tension went quickly and people seemed to embrace us. We’re enjoying ourselves at the moment and enjoying connecting to people. In the past, we’ve made that into a bit of an ordeal.”

Tinder-fans are a loyal and passionate lot, but are having to deal with the fact that some long time favourite tunes are no longer going to be wheeled out at every gig. “I hit a point where I just thought I can’t play certain songs for the rest of my life,” says Staples. “If we’re not going to be progressive, and take people along with that, then there’s not much point. That’s why I have no doubts about these tours and where we’re at. We want to play the songs that are alive for us now.”

February will see Tindersticks tour southern Europe, cementing their very Euro-friendly outlook. “Even when we started, we found real connections across Europe,” confirms Staples. “Most bands only care about England and America, and that’s it. For me, Europe is who I am, where I belong. The European department in our record company thought we were the only band that cared about what they did.” Among the “really great experiences” Staples lists playing places like Belgrade, St Petersburg, Warsaw and Zagreb.

Tindersticks’ European credentials are strengthened by their ongoing relationship with French director Claire Denis, who they have worked with since her (1996) film, Nenette et Boni.

“Claire came to find us after a Paris gig,” recalls Staples.  “She was making this film, and asked could we do the music as one of our songs had been really important to her. We’ve now had a working relationship for 14 years – we’ve just scored her new film (35 Rhums) and are already half way through the next one, so it’s a busy time.”

I suggest the band’s orchestral drama might suit, say, the next James Bond film? Staples laughs. “Doing the theme would be alright! I’m just not interested in uninspiring incidental music. With Claire, though, everything’s open…we get the script and rough edits, and she wants to know our opinions – it’s more of a conversation. It’s a rare relationship in the film world, I think.”

15 years in the music industry can damage even the hardiest musicians, but Tindersticks have retained their integrity, and maintained a respectable distance from the tackier elements of the scene – maybe this has helped their survival?

“If the desire is there, it creates its own energy,” says Staples. “It’s just that feeling between people, inspiring everyone around you. We’ve had five years to think about why we do things, and five years ago, we needed to get away from things, but now…it’s good times.”

And as Staples sits back with a cigarette, it’s assurance, rather than relief, that lingers in the Bruges sun.

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