The Punk Archive: Are you looking forward to playing today?
Paul: I'm extremely excited, yeah. It's great to be on it again. Not many bands play two years in a row so we're really happy to get the opportunity.
The Punk Archive: It's a really good line-up, too…
Paul: Yeah definitely, definitely! For us as well, it's about the network, and last year it paid off really well. We started drinking with the Fearless Vampire Killers guys, then when we were in Bristol, we got a phone call, asking us to go out with them and get smashed! It's really good to meet the other bands, the press, and yeah it's just great for everyone to be together.
The Punk Archive: Definitely from wandering around so far, the festival's got a really nice vibe…
Paul: It is all about the vibe I think at Takedown. At some of the bigger festivals, people can be half a mile away! When everyone's together it feels a lot nicer.
The Punk Archive: So, describe your sound for us?
Paul: Our sound is a bit different, because everyone in the band has such different influences, which range from Alexisonfire to Young Guns. It's about playing music that we like, and hopefully somebody else will like it too!
The Punk Archive: Is that how you guys started off then, your mutual love of these bands?
Paul: Yeah, I mean Joe and Steve played together in a band about six year before; that split up and I was in another band when I got an email off Joe asking me whether I could play. I was bored: I'd just done something but was free, and then we got Carl and Luke. Everyone brings something totally different. We're quite happy that we don't just sound like [Mallory] Knox, or Alexis[onfire].
The Punk Archive: Tell us a bit about your live show. What can people expect if they haven't seen you before?
Paul: We tend to be really energetic. Not quite Story of the Year energetic… I don't know how you practice throwing your guitar thirty feet!
The Punk Archive: Must be an expensive practice…!
Paul: Yeah, you'd run out of money! As a band though, yeah, we all put everything into it, not just the frontman. Usually it's the singer who has all the responsibility, so we try and draw the whole crowd's attention.
The Punk Archive: Do you have any pre-gig rituals, or do you just go for it?
Paul: Mine's probably the saddest… I'm a really big Deaf Havana fan, like really big, and I still like Friends Like These, even though they all hate it and tell me every time I see them that it's a shit song! For me, that's what being in a band is, being with your mates, doing what you love.
The Punk Archive: Surely you're living the dream!
Paul: Well, the last few days, because we've been so busy with our album, just writing and that, we haven't seen the light of day. We've had a few days with Aurora this week and had a blast just playing to people. When we played in Plymouth on Thursday, we got asked whether we were going to come back, thirty kids ran up to the promoter and asked him…
The rest of the band then arrive…
Paul:…so for us to be back here again, it's really good.
The Punk Archive: So are you all as excited to play as this man is?
Carl: Yeah man, like he said…
The Punk Archive: (laughing) “Like he said”? You weren't here!
Carl: I heard him saying at the end there that we're really excited to be back. Last year was insane, it was brilliant to open it up and now it's even better that we're playing later on in the day! We get to go and see other bands, and get even more nervous than last time!
The Punk Archive: And even more pissed, surely?
Carl: I'm not allowed, I've got to sing… If I drink too much, I forget what I'm doing…
Luke: Yeah, now we've got fans coming along and knowing the words, they can tell when it doesn't sound right!
The Punk Archive: So what's that feeling like, having crowds singing back to you?
Carl: Best feeling. It's one of the actual reasons why we're here. I want to write that one song where I don't have to sing any more… just put the mike down…
The Punk Archive: Then you can be pissed! So what does the rest of the year bring for you boys? You're writing now…
Paul: Yes, releasing this year… hopefully September/October release, recording next month.
The Punk Archive: Can you give us a bit of an insight into what it's going to sound like?
Luke: GOOD.
Steve: If you've heard our last stuff, it’s moved on a little bit from there, a little bit more rocky I think. It has changed a little bit. Still very much us, still in that formula, but slightly changed. It's gonna be really cool, a nice mix of songs on it.
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