Currently in Australia with their new record Misadventures, Pierce The Veil have wasted no time in making sure the wait has been worth it for the fans who’ve been hanging out for shows for near on three years. Speaking with bassist Jaime Preciado just prior to the band’s return, the feeling has been mutual – absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder.
“It’s overdue and we’ve missed it.” he says. “I have nothing but great things to say about Australia; the fact that we get to come back and actually headline is pretty awesome. We’re so excited and with everything that’s been happening this year for us, it’s really nice to go back and travel to the places that you’ve been to and you’ve had a really good experience with.”
The release of Misadventures earlier this year brought with it the obvious and expected hype and high expectations. How would it match up to 2012’s Collide With the Sky? Had the amount of time in between albums changed the band’s dynamic any? Where was Pierce The Veil headed next? As Preciado says, this album showcases the band’s growth – it’s a snapshot of where they’re at now. Better, confident and most certainly, they’ve levelled up.
“Obviously this one took a little longer than the others,” he admits. “It’s a really cool feeling to have when people really want that. I know that when we were making the record, there would be times where people were on our backs like, ‘Where’s the new record? Where’s the new record?’ and at some points I was like, ‘Man, get off my back!’. At the same time though, those are the same people who have your back. They’re really passionate about the music we’re making. It was a good problem to have.”
“We always want to grow; every year is a growing year for us and since the last time you guys saw us in 2013, I think, I know for a fact that we’ve grown from there whether it was in us being better songwriters now or being better musicians or performers. We just want to keep getting better so I’m really excited to play some new songs and hopefully meet some new people down there.”
Touring with Silverstein and Beartooth in Australia, as well as Sydney’s Storm the Sky, Preciado admits that the prospect of getting on the road with these bands is a little self-indulgent. Being in the position to pick and choose the bands you take on the road is a good one to be in, but creating one hell of a tour line up alongside mates is an even better bonus.
“We can’t believe it happened!” he says. “They’re all really good friends of ours, so it’s going to be more of a friend hang-out time, than anything else. Originally it was going to be two separate tours, it was going to be our tour and then Beartooth and Silverstein were doing a tour. We all called each other and were like, ‘Yo – why don’t you say we just combine these two tours and make one awesome show?’. Everyone was like, ‘Absolutely’. It’s going to be a great night of music, wherever you come and see us play.”
“When you get to tour and you have so many friends in the industry, you make new friendships and you make new bonds; at the end of the day, at least for us and some other bands, it’s all about just being able to play with your friends. Playing with dudes who you feel comfortable with and also, we’re making a great show at the same time. Big kudos to Beartooth and Silverstein for letting us play with them and making a really awesome show.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLD1bo4w1EE
Commenting on the passionate nature of the Pierce the Veil fan base, arguably could be applied to most fans within the post-hardcore genre, Preciado opens up about how the ideal live show should come together. For Pierce The Veil, ensuring fans are getting their money’s worth right across the board has always remained a top priority.
“I think that’s always been our philosophy when it’s come to planning a tour,” he says. “Wherever we’re going, whether it’s through Australia or if we’re doing a show in the States or anywhere else in the world, we want to make sure the show is an amazing time from the moment kids walk through the door, to the moment the kids leave. I think that a lot of bands say, ‘It’s our show and we don’t care about anything else – it’s our show,’ but those kids are there for four or five hours total. You want to put on a good show from the minute they walk in, from the opening band to the second band, to the direct support band.”
“When you get to a position that we’re in, where you can actually pick and choose the bands that you tour with, it’s such an awesome feeling; we love bringing out bands that are up and coming or bands who want to make a name for themselves, just how we did when we were younger. I know Silverstein was one of those bands that took us out under their wing when we were first starting out, so these are bands that really respect the fact that we’re trying to make music. It’s bands helping bands, you know? That’s what we learned when we were starting out; it’s a really cool thing.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKMqfXIf-W8
Now, being able to have a whole new album to play with on the road in Misadventures, the band has the opportunity to flesh out what’s become an already well-renowned and respected live production and continue to push upward with this new material.
“Once the record was finally done, we had the idea to go out on the very first tour of the States we did and played our new record in its entirety.” Preciado remembers. “Normally that’s reserved for bands who have been together for a really long time and they’re playing their 10-year anniversary of the first record they’d ever done, you know? We had no idea how it was going to turn out and it turned out great. It was a really fun time and it was the first time for us playing, literally, 11 songs in a row, front to back. It was awesome.”
“You almost have to relearn all those songs,” he laughs “We’d recorded them almost two years ago, so we had fun! We have all these songs now that we know and want to try and incorporate with our old songs and make a super-set, if I can say that term. A combination of new and old songs, it’s going to be fun. Australia is a perfect place for it too and going back to that thing of making it a fun show from beginning to end, I’m going to be down the front watching the show until we have to play!”
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Pierce the Veil are on the road through Australia – catch them at the following venues!
August 17th | Big Top at Luna Park, SYDNEY
August 18th | Thebarton Theatre, ADELAIDE
August 20th | 170 Russell, MELBOURNE | U18 Matinee
August 21st | 170 Russell, MELBOURNE | SOLD OUT
August 22nd | 170 Russell, MELBOURNE
August 23rd | Astor Theatre, PERTH
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