If you've got any knowledge of Freudian psychology, you'll probably be intrigued by Left Side of the Brain , the second album from London's Fiction Plane. That a British group has made a record that could quite easily be mistaken for a '90s American rock album is surprising, but consider this: alongside guitarist Seton Daunt and drummer Pete Wilhoit, Fiction Plane contains one Joe Sumner on bass and lead vocals. That's the son of Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting.

Yes, Sting's son has gone and formed a band influenced by the only era since Outlandos D'Amour when the Police were not cool. Analyze that.

One might be tempted to say that this was a way for Sting's son to rebel, but no mind–the younger Sumner seems over it now. After years of trying to dissociate himself from his father's sizable legacy, the prodigal son has decided to use his birthright as a launch pad for his music: Fiction Plane will be the opening act on the upcoming Police reunion tour.

On the phone from London, the younger Sumner is surprisingly candid about his band's troubles navigating the music industry. For years, Fiction Plane–which plays defiantly straightforward alt-rock cribbed from the Pixies, Nirvana, and Soundgarden–has had to compete with a lot of other hungry, hard-working bands. Eventually it became obvious that the chances of getting anywhere without Sumner dropping his dad's name were slim.

"We were just stuck with a label that wanted us to sound like Ashlee Simpson," says Sumner. "We had all these corporate people telling us what to do, and we really had to get out of that. So we ended up on a small label [Bieler Bros], who normally deal in metal, but they know our music. And they just said, 'Go make the record, and we'll release it.'"

With complete creative control, Sumner and crew made the music they wanted to, and now they're ready to win over America by any means necessary.

"I used to totally deny who I was and take jobs under different names," says Sumner. "I think now I've pretty much admitted to being a spoiled prick."

He goes on to tell of having his album-release dates delayed by label suits, and American tours where no one bothered to show up.

"I started thinking that making music that we love is more important than the way that we put it out there."

With his humility in check, Sumner signed up for the Police tour, figuring that if some of his dad's fans take a shine to Fiction Plane, any charges of nepotism will be worth it.

"This past Thursday, we were playing in a restaurant, actually," Sumner says. "We were standing on some tables and that sort of thing. So going from that to this should be pretty extreme, but I like extreme things. It might be the sort of thing where we leave some brown trousers on the stage, but I'm happy to be doing it."

Fiction Plane opens for the Police at GM Place on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday (May 27, 28, and 30). The band will also play the Plaza Club on Saturday (May 26).