They band recently sat with Skatepunkers to talk about their new record, the Paris show with Belvedere and the general skatepunk scene among other things.
Hi guys! First of all how's it going? I see you just got home from your second European tour, am I right?
Hello! Yeah we're all good thanks. That's right we got back about 1 month ago.
How was this experience better than the first one?
This tour was longer, which resulted in more shows, which was always going to be an improvement. Also this time round we got to travel a lot further and see more of the places we were visiting. Oh yeah and not to mention we got to share a stage with Straightaway, Counterpunch, Mute & BELVEDERE...all in one night...on a boat...in Paris. Life doesn't get much better than that!
Did you find a warmer welcome, have you become bigger than you expected also outside UK? Were you more prepared for the tour life and able to enjoy it more?
I think whenever we have played over in mainland Europe you always find there is a warmer welcome everywhere you go and a real sense of appreciation for what you are doing. We got to go back to some of the places we played last year on this tour and we saw quite a lot of familiar faces so I guess it does feel like we have grown quite a bit out there but I wouldn't say we were bigger than we expected.
Also you played the first Belvedere reunion show! How was it to play support for such an influent band? Were they a big influence on your music?When we first saw that the date had been announced for the show in Paris we already had half of the tour booked so didn't even try to get ourselves confirmed on the show. Mainly because we knew that there would be hundreds of bands all trying to guarantee themselves a place on the bill. We also kind of accepted that because we were supposed to be in Slovakia on that date we weren't even going to get the chance to see them.... ever! But then maybe a month before hand Dave got a phone call from Manux at Fuezel Booking inviting us to open the show! We couldn't believe it! The show it self was insane! One of the best atmospheres at any show any of us have ever been to. To support Belvedere was such a big deal for us, most of us were listening to them when we were still at school. They definitely did play a huge part in carving us into the musicians/band we are today.
And most of all, are they still bringing down the place?
As far as their live show went, they were insanely tight and unbelievably entertaining if you were watching them for the first time that night and didn't know much history about the band you would never have guessed that they have had so many years not playing in a band together. So to answer your question...yes, definitely!!!
Speaking of other stuff, you're releasing you second album: could you tell us more about it?For sure. It's called "Here Goes Nothing". We decided on that name because we feel it's our first proper attempt at getting our music out there. It came out on the 23rd of May in Japan with Bells On Records and it set to be released by Lockjaw Records physically in the UK and digitally world wide. You'll be able to pick up a copy from lockjawrecords.co.uk, itunes or simply stream it from Spotify.
How long did it take you to write it? Was it easier than the first? Or does developing your own personal sound make it easier for the music to come out more naturally?
It was all such a rushed process this time round. Zero Talent Bookings had already started booking the tour before we joined Lockjaw and decided to put out a new album. It was a no brainer for us to go on tour with a new record though so we decided to just knuckle down and get a new one written and recorded before hand. I think the whole process took us about 6 months, maybe a little less. We started writing riffs and putting ideas together in late October but didn't really seriously start writing/constructing anything until late December when we realized how tight for time we were. In a very short space of time the main structures for the songs were finished. I think we took about three months to record, mix and master the record from start to finish. All in all it was a pretty tough, intense process but it was definitely worth it in the end.
Which were the main influences on the new songs?
There aren't really any main influences that we write from. Obviously skate punk is a huge part of everything we listen to, but we all grew up and listen to such a broad range of bands and genres that I guess that's where we get our original sound from.
I mean, your music really joins the punk “vibe” with more technical and heavy, almost metal, guitar riff. So I guess hardcore and metal could be a big influence on your music too, am I right?Oh yeah, definitely, in a big way!! We are all suckers for big metal chops!! Bands like Periphery, Sylosis, Strike Anywhere & A Wilhelm Scream are all good examples of The Fears staple diet.
Why the decision of selling it before the official release during your shows?
We really wanted to get the record out there and get people talking about it before it was officially released. Also it's a bit of a reward for all the fans that came out to the shows to get their hands on a copy before it comes out.
So are you gonna have a big show for the official launch of the album? Who is gonna support you? Did you choose them for some particular reasons?
We just had the launch show on Saturday in York, our hometown. It was an awesome show we had about 440 people come out on the night, about 10 off a sell out. All the bands that played are all good friends of ours and all bands that we really feel work hard at what they do. You should go and check them out they are "The Bastard Sons", "Tomorrow We Radio" and "River City Ransom".
After the release are you planning on touring more or are you going to stop for a while and maybe start again to work on some new material?
The plan for the next 12 months is just to play to as many people at as many shows in as many different places as possible. We don't plan to start writing anything in the immediate future but we will probably start working on material for a new album later this year. This time though we will spend a lot longer on the writing process and really take our time with it. Until we know we have something that will literally tear peoples faces off!!
Last question: what do you think of melodic hardcore nowadays? I mean is it making a comeback? Or is it going to become something only the ones who are already involved in will keep on supporting?
It really feels like this scene is on the rise again. There are so many awesome new bands cropping up at the moment, it's only a matter of time before this scene explodes again. Not to mention the veterans that are still tearing up cities all over the world!!
Anything you want to add for the people on skatepunkers.net?
Yeah! A massive thanks to all the guys at skatepunkers.net and anyone else who has been involved in helping promote "Here Goes Nothing"!! Keep up the good work!! LXC
Thanks guys!
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Thanks Francesca for the interview.
