NOMINATED for this year’s Mercury Awards, the pressure is on for Led Bib, with their album Sensible Shoes. When I caught up Mark Holub, drummer of this Walthamstow-based band, the excitement of being chosen as one of the best 12 albums of the year was still having an affect on his modesty. Not really surprising when you look at the list full of artists who’ve already tasted chart success: such as Kasabian, Florence and the Machine and Bat for Lashes.

Led Bib’s ace up their sleeve is that they’re different. They play jazz – not the old fuddy-duddy kind – the dangerous, groovy, rock/punk in-your-face kind; and being shortlisted, is a sure-fire way of getting their music heard.

Led Bib is composed by Mark, Liran Donin (bass), Toby McLaren (Rhodes and piano) and fronted by two dueling alto sax players, Chris Williams and Pete Grogan. They all met five years ago at Middlesex University studying music at post-graduate level.

This album is the band’s third. It expresses the realities and dreams of life living in London, seen through the prism of the members’ different cultural heritages from New Jersey to Edmonton. The musicians individual references peer out from the record through Metallica-like riffs, northern soul licks, New York downtown-sounds influenced improvisation and beyond.

Mark chats to me about the band, their music and the award.

What’s the story behind your name? The name comes from the thing you wear at the dentist which protects you from the radiation. There is no deeper significance... although it could be my fear of dentists.

Why do you like living in the East End? I like Walthamstow. There are lots of musicians here. Rent prices are cheap and it’s not pretentious.

How does it feel to be nominated for a Mercury award? It’s absolutely amazing.

How would you celebrate if you won? In style! £20,000 is a lot of money, so it’s safe to say that some of it will go on booze.

Where would you put the award? We’ve already been talking about a rotation system. The two sax players live together, so they’ll be hogging it for two months... we will have to see.

What’s been the reaction to your recent UK performances? Let’s just say we’ve introduced a lot of people to the new face of jazz.

How do you warm up before a performance? Sound check. Stuff ourselves with food, then go on stage feeling really bloated.

Do you own a pair of sensible shoes? Birkenstock.. oh no, they’re sandals. Um, Pete used to have these shoes, quite a nice looking pair, wore them everywhere for months... until we realised they were slippers.

Led Bib are at Rough Trade East on August 12, 7pm. www.roughtrade.com