Carlile Rocks Carlisle

Sitting down casually after a soundcheck, Of Mice and Men frontman Austin Carlile speaks to Corey Bedford before an anticipated Brickyard gig.

So Austin, how are you and the band finding touring in the UK? Is there much difference between us and the US?

AC: Yeah, well, there are lots of differences, but nothing major, if you know what I mean. There are the obvious things like changing to the metric system and driving on the wrong side of the road and stuff like that. But the fans are a bit different too; they have their own way of things at concerts and so on. But yeah, the gigs are just as good over here.

Speaking of America, has anyone been homesick whilst on tour over here?

AC: Well, we’re actually only on our 4^th day into the tour (laughs), so we’re all looking forward to playing really. If anything our families miss us more than us to be homesick.

Who has influenced you and your music?

AC:  Quite a few have influenced us, really. For me it was definitely Poison the Well, Underoath, as well as new 90s bands like Slipknot, Linkin Park, and others. What was the deciding factor was watching Underoath at the Vans Warped Tour, I saw them and thought “I need to do that for a living”.

What do you think of the UK’s response to your music?

AC: Yeah it’s been great! The last couple of gigs have been sold out, and playing 1,900 at Hit The Deck was a brilliant experience too. It’s just a really good feeling that you can go thousands of miles away and the fans still know every word off by heart and they sing them back to you. It’s just awesome, y’know?

Are you looking forward to playing the Slam Dunk festivals in May?

AC: Yeah definitely, I didn’t know it was that big of a festival to be honest. Then when I mentioned it to people I know, they started saying stuff like “Oh I’ll see you there!” and I realised how good the lineup is this year, it looks great.

You’re finishing your European tour in Germany, going to play Slam Dunk, and then going back home and starting the Vans Warped Tour a few weeks later. Do you enjoy touring like this or does it get a bit too much sometimes?

AC: I actually kind of like it. I don’t really have much of a reason to be at home though, to be honest. When you tour all the time, being on tour actually feels like home, and being home feels like I’m on vacation, y’know? But yeah, I don’t really have much for me back at home, apart from my pool (Laughs).

Are you enjoying touring with Bury Tomorrow, With One Last Breath, and Crossfaith?

AC: Yeah, they’re really cool guys. We didn’t actually meet them until the start of this tour, so it’s good to get to know them whilst gigging.

So Austin, quite a few people don’t know this, but you actually underwent a major heart operation due to you suffering from Marfan syndrome. How has that affected you and the band? It’s a big thing to go through for someone with an intense career like yourself...

AC: Well, it affected me a lot more personally than I would usually like to admit. I was dead for over 2 hours, they kept my brain alive and my heart basically on ice while they operated on it. It’s such a weird thing to go through and it definitely changed my outlook on life. I had to leave the band to get it seen to, and after the operation I had 8 months of therapy. It changed my life.

This question was for Joel but seeing as he’s not here I’ll ask you. Seeing as he’s been the touring vocalist for the band, do you see him becoming permanent? Or do you have other plans after you’ve stopped touring?

AC: Joel’s actually not on tour with us anymore, unfortunately. He’s got a solo career of his own so he’s had other commitments. It’s a shame, he had the tickets paid for to come over here with us but something came up and he had to stay behind. But we’re going to continue as just a four person band, I’m just going to cover both parts on the tour and write new songs to go with it.

What’s your favourite thing about touring in the UK?

AC: Well for me, it’s definitely the history of both the UK and Europe really. History was my favourite subject at school, and the UK has so much more History than America, like the Castle we passed coming into the Brickyard. There’s just so much history everywhere, and I just love the old buildings.

Last question, what’s your favourite album at the moment?

AC: My favourite album of all time would probably be... Tear From the Red by Poison the Well. It was a giant influence to me; another favourite would definitely be Make Yourself by Incubus which also means a lot to me. However, at the moment I’m listening to some of the Architects’ albums quite a lot.

Of Mice and Men have been working on their third album and were in the studio until their UK tour. Later information is to come. Of Mice and Men are playing the northern Slam Dunk Festival at Leeds University on May 26, with Taking Back Sunday, The Architects, Mayday Parade, The Blackout and much more. Further information is at http://www.slamdunkmusic.com/slam-dunk-festival.