band sound like they’re not just
being heavy or experimental
for the sake of it, but because
there’s some meaning behind it,
then it feels outside the box, and
I really connect with that.”
Keith: “We toured with Vein a
couple of years ago and they’re
an amazing live band. Musically
they’re like a tech-goth-dark-
hardcore and a lot of the vibe is
very weird – it reminds me a lot
of bands I listened to growing
up. They’re also just so young
and sincere about what they do.
Having gotten to know them
offstage they’re in it for all the
right reasons, and really when
you watch them live you have
to stand in awe.”What have you got in store
for the fans who come along?
Mat: “I’m not gonna tell you
anything! But it’s going to be
magic, and it’s going to be
incredibly special. When it
comes to [Brixton], it feels like
if we were gladiators then that
would be our Colosseum. We
saw Thrice there when we were
kids, which was a real moment, and I saw
Alexisonfire play their last show before the
hiatus there. We’ve played there in a support
slot, but it’s a real milestone venue in the UK.
We want to do something more than our usual
show – part of us doesn’t know what that is
yet, but we want it to be a really special night
that you never forget, where we look back at
different parts of our career. We want it be
about everything and make it as interactive as
possible. Part of me wants to make what’s a
huge show feel like a really small one. I don’t
necessarily know what that means yet, but
I’m asking, ‘How do we turn Brixton into a
floor show?’ But we’ve got a lot of time to
think about it (laughs).”
Keith: “I don’t know yet – we’re going to
play it by ear. We’re not bringing any real
production with us; we honestly just rely
on the live show being its own production.
It’s not like we need a distraction like fire or
cryo or people won’t feel like they’re getting
much of a show. Usually all that we require
is to eliminate the barricade so people can
stage-dive! We’ll be playing a good mix from
across our catalogue, too, and there might
be a new song or two. We just relearned
[2003 album] Hot Damn! from front to back
for 2000trees last weekend, so we’ll likely
keep some of those older songs in the set.”Keith, do you think there’s a sense of
prestige to playing Brixton?
Keith: “Definitely. The idea that we can
go over there and play shows at venues withsuch storied histories is pretty remarkable
for a bunch of hardcore kids from Buffalo,
New York. It’s a journey to some other world
with these buildings that have had tons
of acts that you’ve only dreamt of being
associated with, and we’re very, very grateful
to have the opportunity.”How has 2019 been for Every Time I Die?
Keith: “It’s been a lot more active than we
expected it to be without a new record out.
We’re used to having a record out every
two years, so there was a part of us that
was dubious if people were even going to
care if we played shows. But we just finished
this Coheed & Cambria and Mastodon tour,
which is probably the biggest tour we’ve
ever done in the States, and the reception
was incredible, and the bands were perfectly
matched. That came kind of out of nowhere,
and it’s proven to us that you don’t need
to micromanage your ‘career in music’.
Rather than follow a formula, we’ve learned
to wait and see what opportunities present
themselves, and that was the best thing we
could have done. We’re fortunate in that
sense, and it’s kind of a testament to live
bands who really put a lot of energy into
their performance.”Mat, do you feel you’ve been on quite the
journey to reach this pivotal moment in
your career?
Mat: “Quite the journey’s an understatement,
I think. We slap ourselves on a daily basis,Keith Buckley’s new hair
gel was really strongWith these highly-anticipated
shows in London and Manchester
six months away, we of course had
to ask if there’s any chance of new
material cropping up in the set list
from either While She Sleeps or
Every Time I Die.
“There’s a possibility. We’re
writing at the moment, but we’re not
forcing anything,” says Mat Welsh.“If we do something and we love it
then we’ll share it, but we won’t put
anything out for the sake of it. But it’s
sounding awesome so far – it’s quite
aggressive and intense, but I’m not
going to say anything more about it
than that right now.”
It’s also a chance in the ETID
camp, according to Keith Buckley.
“We’ve got a ton of riffs floatingaround in this riff-cloud, and it’s
our first time writing with our
current drummer, so we’re feeling
things out a little with him. So
far he’s been really good with
programming while we’ve been on
the road, just to give us an idea of
what he would do in a live setting.
It’s an interesting process because
we don’t usually work this way.”Will we be hearing new
music from WHILE SHE
SLEEPS or EVERY TIME
I DIE in time for January
2020? Let’s find out...NEW ARE WE
6 KERRANG!
to have been able to get to
this level! We’re not the sort
of dudes who go, ‘This bus
is so normal.’ Everything
is still crazy to us, and this
summer in particular has been
so insane. The shows have
left us speechless how big
they are and how together
the audience has been, and
how much bigger this thing
has become than we ever
imagined it would. To be
doing that on a headline level
feels completely out of this
world, and we’re just grateful
that people have stuck with us
for so long. It doesn’t just
feel like the five of us
anymore – now it feels like
this connected community.”Mat, you’re an independent
metal band playing Brixton.
There aren’t many who
can say that...
Mat: “Again, I think
that comes back to that
connection I mentioned.
Oftentimes, when you do
something, everything is
so third party – I’ll buy this thing from that
website, which has nothing to do with who
actually made it. But there will always be
people who want to go to the shop where
the guy behind the counter made the product
you’re buying, and you’re giving your money
directly to him, and it’s as simple as that.
There’s something that feels really special
about being in that position, and we feel
empowered by that. People know what
they’re supporting directly when they’re
buying our record.”Where do While She Sleeps go from here?
Mat: “Just trying to keep ourselves excited
and trying to do other things outside the
box. We’ve gotten so empowered by the
independent thing that we want to try
to change things we don’t like about the
industry, and make it more fan-to-band
oriented. We want to get more excited
about how we record music, too, and maybe
that means collaborating or doing smaller
releases more often. It feels good to be
asking the question, ‘Well, what do we
do next?’ As long as we remain creatively
inspired it should be exciting. We’re
definitely not about to take a massive break
because we’re not into it anymore. In fact,
we feel the exact opposite!” K!WHILE SHE SLEEPS, EVERY TIME I DIE AND
VEIN PLAY LONDON’S O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
AND MANCHESTER ACADEMY IN JANUARY- SEE THE GIG GUIDE for more info
PHOTO:
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