SOME people have all the luck. Luke Grahame possibly isn't one of them.
"I lost two fingers in a windsurfing accident", says Shaped By Fate's now left-handed guitarist.

"On what was my fretting hand. I was probably about eight. It was in Banbury – I was doing a watersports course on a reservoir there.
"The wind died and we were all left stranded, so they sent a motorboat out to bring us back in. They tied the boards to the back, and the kids were in the boat.

"But obviously I wanted to be the cool kid left on the board, surfing along behind! We hit a swell, and I fell over, but stayed on the board.
"My fingers were pulled through a small gap and torn off. I think that design of daggerboard has been outlawed now because it was so dangerous."

Grahame, originally a right-handed guitarist, lost his index and middle fingers on his left hand, and was forced to acquire a new axe technique.
"The middle finger was stitched back on but it hasn't got much strength. I had to have a metal post put through the bone which was a bit scary.

"My older brothers both played guitar and I'd been pushed into it, and I resented it.

"I started seriously when I was 15. I started listening to music properly, having dreams about playing for Oasis", he laughs.

Certainly the music the Grahame, now 26, and his bandmates – fellow guitarist Richey Beckett, frontman Paul Fortescue, bassist Lee Jenkins, and drummer Carl Richards – now make bears little resemblance to Britpop.

When invited to describe Shaped By Fate's sound, Grahame gives the impression that it's a question hundreds of people have asked, but which he's still not sure how to answer.

He even half-heartedly attempts to acquire the input of Beckett, who is hovering around somewhere in the background of the Cardiff home they share.

"Brutally heavy, basically", he muses. "A big wall of noise, but with enough groovy bits to get your teeth into.

"If you're into metal and hardcore it's exciting enough to cover most bases."

Grahame believes British metal is on the up, and this is surely borne out by the wealth of talent on show at this weekend's Ghostfest, at Rio's in Leeds.

Shaped By Fate headline the second stage on Saturday and the guitarist is suitably excited.

"We played at the very first one in 2005", he says. "To be headlining is awesome. Cult of Luna and Architects are amazing, and I've been listening to Johnny Truant's new record non-stop."

But how did Grahame's band come to choose their vaguely mystical name?
"I'd like to give you a meaningful story", he laughs. "But the real reason is Rival Schools: United By Fate. We're named after a Japanese video game. We just changed it a bit.

"But over time it's held its own significance. We've all had experiences where afterwards we were like 'that was shaped by fate!'"
He proceeds to recount a tale which leaves me speechless.

"Me and my girlfriend were walking to the train station, but when we got there we'd just missed it.

"As the next one pulled in, a guy runs out from next to me, jumps in front of it, and gets minced up.

"I was the only witness – my girlfriend was looking the other way, but when she got hit by a bit of 'meat' it caught her attention!
"We were showered in all kinds of bits, it was horrible. Turned out to be a homeless guy, his wife had left him. I guess he'd just got bored of it all."

Grahame was obliged to provide the police with a statement. It hasn't been his only encounter with the law – and again we're back to the bad luck he seems cheerfully unable to avoid.

"There was a London show where we walked into the middle of a huge police operation. They were targeting Eastern Europeans nicking farm equipment.

"First they tried to do us for overloading, and realised they couldn't. Then they tried getting us on a licence qualm, which wasn't viable either. We ended up missing the show."

That unfortunate charade should feature in the band's upcoming tour DVD, which will also be high on "gorilla suits, stage diving, and moshing".

"We wanted to make it a proper slice-of-life, day-by-day, realistic look at what it's like to be a band on tour", Grahame says. "Gritty, like Eastenders."

Grit is a useful character feature when you're forced to play guitar with only three full-working digits.

"I get through a lot of picks, usually dropping about five per show. I've got scars all over my fingers – electric guitar strings are like cheesewires. But it's great."

Listen to Shaped By Fate here