fanbase, not alienating listeners. He will embark on his second arena tour early next year and is already planning his subsequent step up, with a crafty/hopeful eye on a future Milton Keynes Bowl gig - and even Wembley Stadium. Gleave's pragmatic professional gameplan even extends to self-sacrifice; he admits that Mercury hasn't taken up the option of his album in the US, pointing out he just wasn't willing to commit to spending months away from his tribal fanbase in the UK and Eastern Europe. Little wonder; record sales and tour dates are mutating in size on these shores, especially after festival crowds lapped up Example's exultant stage show this summer. Here, he tells Music Week how the lion's share of his income comes from live shows, why he's no fan of '360' deals -- and why he so appreciates his unique relationship with his indie label... There was talk of grunge influences on the lyrics of your last album, but this time, there's guitars... The songs start off nice and polite and then go really nasty. When I did [title track from last album] Playing In The Shadows, I wrote it with Iain Archer on guitar and Chase & Status produced it. It made me realise I could write an album with guitarists and get in the best electronic producers. How has that approach gone down with fans? I get abuse on Twitter all day every day: "Stop fucking messing with guitar music! Leave it alone! You're shit!" But I've