The opportunity to play to packed-out venues and headline music festivals is something that thousands of young people dream of, a privilege that only a select few get to experience.

But for pop group Circa Waves, this ambition is creeping closer and closer to becoming reality, as their stock rises with the launch of their third album and a UK tour on the horizon.

Formed in 2013, the four-piece, with members from far-flung parts of England, have enjoyed a meteoric rise from relative unknowns to festival mainstays.

With two top 20 albums under their belt, the band are preparing for the release of their third album, one which they feel will be their best yet.

Frontman Keiran said: "We've had the album on our phones for about a year now so we are just so happy that it is finally being released.

"It feels like Circa Waves 2.0. It is definitely our best yet - the biggest and most ambitious.

"There is a new wave of songs and a new kind of style. We are certainly more excited about this than we were in the past.

"Every song, I think, has sing-back-ability. In my eyes that is the measure of a good pop song.

"It's kind of the dream really. As a songwriter or a band it is what you aim for, to have thousands singing back your own songs at you.

"So far it has been amazing with the tracks that are already out and I think it'll only grow with the album."

This is the beginning of an exceptionally busy month for Circa Waves.

After the album drops on Friday, the band will quickly follow this up with a tour taking them to all corners of the UK, including a sold out show at Glasgow's Barrowlands.

Kieran added: "Glasgow has always sold out quickly for us.

"It is our most played city. When we first started we came here so many times.

"To me, it feels like a second Liverpool, where I'm from. It's a close-knit city and our second home. The amount of nights we have had in Sleazy's, drank too much or ended up DJ sets.

"We could have picked bigger rooms but we picked the Barras. We love it and it means a lot to us and are very proud to be able to pay there again.

"The people are all just great. They remind me of home and that's really nice when you're out on the road.

"We will still be playing the big songs, with some new ones in there as well.

"For anyone who has seen us before, it will be pretty similar - just with more bangers!"

The Barrowlands will not be the last Glasgow sees of Circa Waves either.

Following a popular show at TRNSMT in 2017, the boys will be back at Glasgow Green this July, performing the closing slot on Sunday's King Tut's Stage.

This represents another step to realising their dream of headlining music festivals. But the band say they recognise they have "a few albums to go" yet before they are mixing it with the likes of Stormzy, The Killers, and others at the top of bills.

Circa Waves' frontman said: "We'll be back in Glasgow in July, playing TRNSMT - it's amazing!

"When we did it the first time the crowd was one of the best we ever played to. There was just this vast field of kids on shoulders. It was what dreams are made of."

So what are the long-term ambitions for the band? According to Kieran, relevance and a connection with their audience is what they are hoping for.

But with sold out shows and festival slots around the corner, greater success is beckoning.

He added: "Ultimately, we want to make it as hard as possible to write a setlist.

"We aim to make music that connects and has relevance. We want to be a festival band, and headlining one would be properly amazing.

"That's what we all want, our ambition is huge. I don't think that was the plan at the start, it was just a hope that we would get booked. Now we have played main stages and need to start transforming this into something else.

"Obviously I am biased but I feel like we could manage it. We're just a collective of unsuccessful musicians who turned into a decent band."