The two years that encompassed 2006 and 2007 was Augie March’s time – the band went from critical darlings with an underground following to recognised faces, playing a host of sold out shows, topping Triple J’s Hottest 100, seeing their third album Moo, You Bloody Choir released to significant praise in the United States, touring said overseas destination, and supporting Crowded House in stadiums around Australia.

Now, before they buckle down and record their highly anticipated fourth album, the Melbourne-born five-piece are due to play the Big Day Out extravaganza around the country.

They’re not necessarily the sort of band you associate with the festival – their songs are delicate, and Glenn Richards has been known to express his temper when the sound isn’t quite right, a guitar is handed to him a nanosecond too late, or even when he’s just in a filthy temper.

Yet, as evidenced by their Crowded House support slots, as Augie March’s star has risen in the last few years, so too has their ability to adapt to any situation. From the smallest of small venues to stadiums with Crowded House, the band now seem to always sound fantastic. “It’s funny,” agrees bassist Edward Ammendola. “If it sounds good then that’s a good thing.”

Given that the band have played an array of different sized venues throughout the last year both home and abroad, they’ve found a way to adapt their setlist accordingly to suit nearly every occasion, from dive bars in the middle of the US to the main stages of the Big Day Out. “It’s not one of our finer points – we’re not exactly that good at it,” he admits. “In a lot of ways we’re a one-dimensional band – the music’s not one-dimensional; there’s a lot of variety in the music – but as far as us being adaptable is concerned that’s something that we’ve only recently experienced.

“When we went to the US,” he elaborates, “and we’ve been there three times this year with two promo tours and a proper sort of tour, and we did a lot of radio stuff and stripped it all back down to acoustic instruments and a snare drum. It was great – I think there was a bit of a growth there in that we learned how to play a bit better with each other, and actually find the shape of the song again. We will tailor the sets [for the Big Day Out].”

When playing to such a vast panoply of music aficionados as are present at the Big Day Out – who may or may not have heard any material other than the omnipresent One Crowded Hour – the most important thing for a band like Augie March to do is just be themselves, and to present themselves in the best possible light. “We’re always going to play [that] in the set so they can put a sound to a straggly bunch of bearded, overweight guys.”

That song has, in Edmund’s estimation, “the momentum of a runaway train”. It’s become Augie March’s calling card – something about it just captures the essence of the band and enraptures everyone who hears it. “It has a longevity to it that I’ve never experienced with any of our songs before, and it’s quite a strange song – it’s not a conventional pop songs by any means. It’s a classic Augie March ‘building’ song,” he says, referring to the way that it begins slowly before unfurling itself in all its glory.

The difference, it would seem, is that it’s worked this time; where singles from their previous two albums had – with the exception of “Asleep in Perfection”, which came from the EP before their debut – had been vaguely similar but not resonated with a wider audience, One Crowded Hour has. “We still enjoy playing it live,” he says. “Some songs in the way they’re built are a little less robust I suppose, but [the reaction to the song] was quite unexpected, but there you go. It’s still kicking around really well.”

Playing big shows like the Crowded House tour, or Big Day Out itself, is a great learning curve for a band raised on the inner-suburban venue circuit. It gives a band like Augie March the opportunity to play with space and dynamics, and even just little things like how to position oneself on stage. “You don’t get any soundcheck or anything like that,” he says, “so you learn to just get up there and belt it out.”

You can also be paired in a most unusual line-up, with the likes of Slipknot being on after you. “More often than not we’ve been on at the SAME time as a band like Slipknot,” he says wryly, “or something like that. That’s always fun!”

Augie March play the Big Day Out nationally.