January will be the third time Cancer Bats have graced British soil in the space of ten months after a co-headline tour with While She Sleeps in April and appearances at Reading & Leeds in August. With this in mind, it will be the first time theyâre doing shows solely for Cancer Bats fans, kicking things off at the Wedgwood Rooms in Southend-On-Sea and finishing at the Tufnell Park Dome in London, stopping by Glasgow on the way.
We caught up with vocalist Liam Cormier while he was getting some last minute merchandising done before the guys set off on a tour of North America. Liam told us about the band’s second home by the British coast, the importance of covers and the power of party bangers.
So you guys have got a huge 18-date tour over here in January: what made you come back so soon?
Yeah, we love it in the UK, thatâs the long and short of it. Itâs one of our favourite places to play and we definitely haven’t got enough of it. Especially when we were over for Reading & Leeds. We played the 100 Club and Fighting Cocks and just thought they were so sick. Those shows sold out quick so we thought âLetâs make sure we play fun shows like this all over the country and give everybody a chanceâ. Two shows have sold out already. Southend-On-Sea is actually our home away from home, itâs where our tour manager is from. Weâve spent a tonne of time there and for that show to be the first to sell out is incredible. Make sure you buy a ticket in advance for the rest of the shows, theyâre all selling fast. Weâll definitely let people know how many tickets are left on the door if any each night, so follow our Twitter and our Facebook if you change your mind last minute.
You guys were here earlier this year. Was having a sell out tour part of the reason youâre coming back so soon?
It was the best! When we came over and played with While She Sleeps, those shows were so killer, but it was such a different vibe. Like obviously itâs packed out with their fans and our fans, which is awesome, but now we want to play some dirty and gnarly shows. Itâs fun playing in front of a barricade with a huge crowd, but at the same time you just wish the stage wasnât so tall. Those are the shows you remember. Nothing beats shows like the 100 Club, those shows when even the security are partying.
I bet youâre excited to have purebred Cancer Bats fans in the audience.
Yeah, totally. I mean in April the bill was so strong with Oathbreaker, While She Sleeps and us flip-flopping with headlining. It was definitely the best co-headliner weâve ever done. That side of things was wicked.
Which bands do you think are keeping hardcore and punk alive?
I think thereâs still some great stuff out there. Iâm really into that new Palm Reader record and Iâm definitely stoked that Frank Carter is playing with Ghost Of A Thousandâs drummer, thatâs sick. I know that stuff is changing but thereâs still plenty of bands that are doing it right.
For your new album, âSearching For Zeroâ, you had Ross Robinson producing it. Listening to the record you can hear his influence, but do you feel, having played the record for a few months, that his input translates live?
For sure. Those new songs are so gnarly. Itâs something you always wonder when putting out a new record. You think about how theyâre going to translate. Whereas with this album, we recorded it live and we know exactly how itâs going to sound. The only guesswork is the crowd’s energy. Itâs almost like you know it in a way. Like the “woah” parts in ‘Satellites’ we always want to sing along to. Thatâs the vibe we had in the studio. We canât wait to get people partying.
When you released âDead Set On Livingâ you said you were becoming more and more influenced by indie and pop records. Has this continued in the new record?
Yeah, definitely. I don’t know if you heard the cover we just did of Joel Plaskett – ‘Through & Through & Through’? Itâs just out digitally right now. I know itâs just a cover but taking that different style of more indie rock and playing it like we do, it sounds so gnarly.
Your cover of ‘Sabotage’ was one of those songs that got you so much attention here in the UK, so itâs probably not a bad move.
Yeah, I was super pumped on that too. The only thing I now realise is that maybe in the UK people donât know Joel Plaskett as much. I mean, we really want to play it live, so if the UK is up for it, then so are we.
When you released your latest record you were saying you wanted to make âparty bangersâ. You guys have always honed a manic live show: has that reputation followed through on this record when face-to-face with a crowd?
The banger content on this record is definitely there. Itâs like chasing the holy grail. You know when you write a certain song that the party is going to go crazy. And you know when you put those on your record that itâs going to be a better show. Our main mantra when writing is basically âmore bangersâ. We play a song like âBrixton Waterâ in our set and we then we play something else. We think to ourselves, âWhat would a hybrid of these two songs sound like?â I feel like thatâs where Cancer Bats are now in their creative process.
Iâll definitely be there. Good luck with your tour of North America and weâll see you next year.
We canât wait.
MAX GAYLER