On Monday, grindcore veterans Napalm Death start their European tour in Brighton. Over a month and a half they'll squeeze in 45 dates in 16 countries.

"Whatever fatigue you have becomes a bit secondary," explains singer Barney Greenway.

"You almost forget about it. If you have a night off, you tend to throw yourself out of sync a bit, your muscles kind of tighten themselves up again."

It's not just in touring schedules where the band sets standards. The band formed in Birmingham in 1982, part hardcore punk, part speed metal.

Their debut album - 1987's Scum - contained 54 songs in 65 minutes, packaging bursts of gruffly-roared lyrics and a glut of riffs into complex micro-songs lasting less than a minute or two each.

"One of the things that people don't pick up on is our art-rock influences," Barney says.

"There was an early Eighties band called Swans who were the true essence of goth - so morbid sounding, stick-your-head-in-the-oven depressing. My Bloody Valentine and The Fall also influenced us."

The band have a place in the Guinness Book of Records for recording the shortest song ever. You Suffer is 1.3 seconds long.

"Napalm is noisy, but there is substance underneath," says Barney. "Shane, our bass player, makes a good point. If you've said all you need to say in 30 seconds, why make it any longer?"

If you know nothing about Naplam Death, you're probably picturing a bunch of leatherjacketed thugs tipping buckets of meat over the audience. But such metal cliches don't apply to them.

They don't wear leather jackets unless they are vegetarian imitations, as the band are committed to animal welfare, and much of the band's lyrics are politically-conscious, attacking Bush, racism and cock-rock metallers.

"The climate for the past couple of years has been one of fear and paranoia," says Barney. "But above and beyond the politics, we're a humanitarian band. We promote tolerance, equality and the observance of civil rights.

"You'd be surprised how many vegetarians there are in the craziest, nastiest-sounding bands.

But you can't point at someone eating chicken and say 'what the f*** are you doing that for?'

"I certainly wouldn't poke my finger in someone's face and go 'Oi f***er, get that leather jacket off!'"

This mix of politics, hard slog and uncompromising music is why the band have outlasted many of their contemporaries.

Their tour may appear exhausting, but Barney is looking forward to their first gig. "Last year, I considered moving to Brighton - even though I'm a Brummie at heart," Barney says.

"Brighton has this feeling of tranquility - it clears my mind like no other place.

"Forget all the tourist stuff, just the simplicity of sitting on the beach and looking out at the sea is more than enough for me."

And his favourite place to visit? "I once thumbed a lift all the way down to Brighton to go to Vegetarian Shoes to buy a leather jacket. I've still got it in my cupboard.

"I was like: 'Vegetarian Shoes - sounds f****** fantastic!'"

Starts 6pm, tickets cost £12. Call 01273 740292.