A small, brown-skinned, wise-cracking guy in his mid-20s from Michigan, his name was Alex, and he kept the passengers on the funicular going up to Rio’s Christ The Redeemer statue royally entertained with stories of his adventures as one of the thousands of USA supporters who’d made the trip to Brazil for the World Cup.

As the Stereophonics prepare for their headline gig at Slane this month, P J Gibbons talks to frontman Kelly Jones about Wales, stardom and his love-hate relationship with the press