Back together with the line-up that defined their 2002 debut album Tell All Your Friends, Taking Back Sunday are currently touring the UK.
A few days before they returned to the Main Stage at last weekend's Reading and Leeds Festivals, we chatted to the band before their Manchester show.
-How's the tour being going?
So far, so good. We're still getting settled in, hitting our stride.
-Do you notice a difference between the crowds in the UK compared to elsewhere?
A little bit. I don't know. Last night, we definitely felt like the crowd was not as enthusiastic. I'm not sure about the reasons for it, but the crowd last night [in Glasgow] was a lot more laid-back than we've experienced.
-Are you still excited to be back?
Of course we're excited to be back! It's still fun, we like being over here. We kinda had to work a little bit more in Dublin, but it felt like we got the crowd going and then it was really exciting. Maybe we'll just have to work a little harder.
-Were you disappointed at having to postpone your tour dates earlier this year?
Yeah, we were, it was a bummer.
-This date was rearranged from the Liverpool date. Was that just a scheduling conflict?
Yeah. I don't even know exactly what the conflict was. I know we were coming back here for Reading and Leeds anyway. I think it just made more sense to put these dates around those dates?
-Are you excited for Reading and Leeds then?
Yeah, very excited. I have fun while playing it, but I'm always scared. It is very nerve-racking.
-Would you prefer playing the Lock Up stage, higher up on the bill?
I would much rather play the tents, because it seems more personal. The main stage is like 20 feet away, so it's weird. It's still fun, though.
-Is there a different mindset going into a festival show?
Yeah. I was shocked when My Chem played and they got pelted with bottles. That's why I get nervous when we play!
-How is it being back with the 2002 Tell All Your Friends line-up?
It's fun, it's cool.
-Did the band know much before the announcement that it was all coming together?
There was not that much time actually. A month maybe of talking and reconnecting, starting to make plans. Once it was definite that was pretty much when people found out.
There was a point when we weren't sure what we were going to do. We wanted to get back together in person and see what it was like, and play together and start writing before we made any decisions.
Once we got together, it was very quick. We were very excited and knew it was going to be good.
-Was there something special about the way that line-up worked that made you want to get back together?
Yeah. It's easier writing with these guys. There's just a chemistry that the five of us have. It's something that's just there. We hadn't played together in like eight years or something.
I felt like almost immediately we clicked back in. We all have this way of working off each other.
-The new album's self-titled. Was the reformation with that line-up the reason behind keeping it self-titled?
I think so, yeah. It felt like this is a new start for the band. Even though we're getting this group back together, it kinda felt like the start of a new chapter in the band's life. This is Taking Back Sunday.
-How do you think it compares to your earlier work?
I think all of us agree that this is the best record the band has ever made. We're all super-proud of it. We worked harder, and put a lot more into this, than anything else this band has done.
We're really proud of it. We think it's the best we've ever done. Whether or not other people think that is another story.
-Given the pride you have for it, does your set-list lean towards including as much from the new album as you can?
It's quite even across every album. We try to keep a good mix of the whole catalogue. We would probably like to play more songs from the new album, but we're all very aware of how it is.
Especially with all of us being back together, we know people want to hear the old stuff. We try not to force people to listen to more than they want to, but play so that we're happy and maybe get more people into it.
-What do you have planned after your tour with The Maine?
We're going to try to tour as long as there's opportunities. We're talking about going to South America in January. We also have some shows here and there around America before that.
After January, we're not really sure. Hopefully we're going to keep having opportunities for a while and then start gradually writing and getting back into that while we tour.
-Is there anyone you'd like to tour with, but haven't had the chance to yet?
I think at this point after we do our headline tour, we just want to be taken out by any band that's bigger than us. It's pretty fun after doing headline shows to be taken out on tour.
You don't have the responsibility. You just play really early and you're done. Like when we toured with blink, it was awesome! You feel humbled a bit, because you realise how big your band isn't!
-What final shout out would you give to anyone reading this?
I would say...thank you for reading this. Please keep liking our band, and I appreciate you all [laughing]. If you don't like it, I'm sorry.
Check out our live review of the band here.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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