My Secret Life: Kelly Jones, 38, musician

'I realise now why a man needs a shed'

Jones says: 'I was always in a band. I did my first gig at 12.' (Steve Gullick)

My parents are… still a huge part of my life. They come to the shows and we still go out a lot together. I used to follow my dad around the workmen's clubs as a kid and now they kind of follow me.

The household I grew up in… is still my family home, my parents still live there. It's a terraced house in South Wales originally built for miners. It was a house full of men, but mum was the boss, she was the soul of the house.

When I was a child I wanted to be… I was always in a band. I did my first gig at 12. We'd gig at the working men's club at the end of the road. We'd have to leave after because we were too young to drink.

If I could change one thing about myself… I'd learn how to relax a bit more.

You wouldn't know it but I am very good at… being punctual.

You may not know it but I'm no good at… reading instructions.

At night I dream of… When you're making an album, I find a lot of the stuff creeps into your subconscious when you sleep. Usually they ain't very good ideas but I did have one song called "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio": I dreamt that one.

I wish I had never worn… I once wore a cream shirt, cream jeans and cream trainers on stage at a gig in Cardiff. I thought it was a good look but I looked more like an ice-cream, really.

What I see when I look in the mirror… I'm starting to see a lot of members of my family creeping through into my face. Sometimes I see my brother Lee, sometimes I see my brother Kevin, I'm the same colouring as my mother and I see my dad's mannerisms.

It's not fashionable but I like… old-school rock'n'roll bands: AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple.

My house is… an old artist's studio. To be honest with you, it's been taken over by the three ladies of the house. There's a lot of pink, a lot of shoes, a lot of clothes, and I realise why a man needs a shed. The complete opposite of the house I grew up in – revenge has been taken.

A book that changed me… I really enjoyed reading the Keith Richards autobiography (Life, 2010) while making the new record.

The person who really makes me laugh… At the minute my girlfriend Jakki – she's walking round the house reciting quotes from the Micky Flanagan DVD.

My five-year plan… Make another album, make a film, make a wife, make a baby, make a few quid to pay for all that!

What's the point? If you stay true to yourself, if you listen to others, if you're happy and well, everyone else around you that you love are usually OK.

My life in six words… Happy, tired, working, loving, rocking and rolling. That's seven. Can we put an 'n' between the rocking and rolling?

A life in brief

Kelly Jones was born in Aberdare, South Wales in 1974. He grew up in the village of Cwmaman where his parents both worked in local factories. He began playing gigs in working men's clubs as a boy and his band, the Stereophonics, released their first album, Word Gets Around, in 1997. Five number one albums followed. Their new album, Graffiti on the Train, is released on 4 March. Jones's debut film, a tie-in with the album, is also in development. He lives in London with his girlfriend Jakki and his two daughters