Lovejoy kicked off their highly anticipated Across The Pond Tour in May. The British rock band, who recently released their third EP “Wake Up & It’s Over,” played shows to adoring fans throughout the U.S. and Canada—wowing audiences with their rambunctious guitars and tell-all lyrics. Before their show at Boston’s Royale on June 2nd, Staff Writer, Elle Dickson sat down with the band to discuss new music and the highs and lows of tour.
SO HOW ARE Y’ALL DOING TODAY?
Ash Kabosu: Doing good. We’re just plotting world domination at the moment.
THAT FEELS RIGHT. HOW EXCITED ARE Y’ALL TO BE IN BOSTON?
Mark Boardman: We’ve never been.
AK: Joe loves Boston.
Wilbur Soot: It’s his favorite place in the world.
AK: Which is why he’s not here, he’s off enjoying Boston.
LOVELY, SO HOW HAS THE TOUR BEEN SO FAR FOR YOU GUYS?
WS: Very good. Very tiring.
AK: Wild. Yeah, really cool. Just like every end of the spectrum—it’s been amazing, but it’s also been awful at times. Yeah, it’s just been a big mixed bag.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PARTS OF THE TOUR SO FAR?
AK: I really liked San Francisco! I think it gets a bad rap because everywhere else we went in the country, we’ve been telling people where we’ve been going, and they say, “Oh, be careful in San Francisco!” and we got there and it couldn’t be finer. There was nothing wrong—it was very pleasant, very green, a lot of fun, and there were lots of cool places to eat. I had a great time!
MB: I think mine was [San Francisco] too. We have a good friend that lives out there, so it was nice to see them again.
AK: They showed us around, showed us some good food, and we got to see the sunset in a field overlooking the city.
MB: Then, the next day, they secretly opened for us—did an amazing show. They absolutely smashed it!
AK: Yeah, that show was great. It was a really good crowd... Austin, Texas was really cool. I think that was maybe my favorite show, just in terms of crowd and energy and everything. Yeah, it was huge.
WS: It was daunting.
AK: I had loads of fun in Nashville as well. That’s where we first went. We were there for a few days. We just went out to Broadway and went to a bunch of bars to listen to the country bands play. They were all just incredible—like it made me aware of the caliber of musicians and it made me nervous. I was like, “Fuck, we really gotta prove ourselves.”
WS: Yeah, Nashville was really cool.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO KEEP THINGS FUN ON TOUR?
WS: I attack Mark.
MB: He’s been doing that since before tour.
AK: Let the record show that I’m actually sitting between them now to prevent Will from harming Mark any further.
YOU GOTTA KEEP HIM SAFE BEFORE THE SHOW!
AK: Just his legs, he could probably beat the drum with your head.
MB: I don’t know. I feel like I’d get brain damage first.
THE EP IS STILL PRETTY YOUNG. HOW HAS THAT IMPACTED THE TOUR?
AK: I’m very impressed with how the crowds have already learned the songs. I did not expect that. I thought there would be one or two stand-out songs or choruses that really resonate with people, but they’re singing every word and that's nuts. Like, that’s dedication that we don’t even deserve, and that's wonderful.
WS: Yeah, it’s crazy.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE ONE OF YOUR SHOWS TO SOMEONE WHO’S NEVER BEEN TO ONE?
MB: Loud.
WS: Yeah. Very loud. It’s not even the sound system or the music—it’s literally just how loud the fans scream.
AK: Our record was 120 decibels I think, in Texas, which is the equivalent of standing next to a jet engine. We have molded in-ears that we wear for playback while we perform, and if at any point I take mine out, it’s almost deafening.
WS: Every crew member that works in the venue has no idea what to expect then our sound guy tries to tell us–
AK: He tries to tell them, “It’s gonna be loud,” and they’re like “Okay.” Then they go, “Oh fuck, my ears!”
WS: They all put their earplugs in as well. It's ridiculous.
WHAT ARE Y’ALLS FAVORITE SONGS TO PLAY?
MB: It’s gotta be “Portrait of a Blank Slate” for me. I think it’s really fun.
AK: Yeah, I really like playing “Portrait of a Blank Slate,” but it’s really hard for me to play, so the chances of me playing it well are low—but when I do, it feels really good. “Scum” is also really fun. It has our biggest build. The crowd also always goes wild for “Sex Sells,” so that’s really cool.
WS: “Call Me What You Like” is my favorite because I get to do a fun thing where I just talk.
