Express Yourself

What's it like for you going on the road?
Well, personally I love it. I think in Therapy? I'm the one that enjoys it most because the other two have girlfriends and I think after a while they get homesick. They still really love doing it. I think I'm the one who's most at risk because I've nothing to lose, so I just love spending all my time away.
What's the aspect of touring that you enjoy most?
Just the freedom of it. Before, I used to work in a factory and it was really soul-destroying. When I'm on tour it's just like, total freedom by comparison. I'm doing something that I want to do and I'm enjoying doing it: getting a chance to travel and meet people. It's the excitement that you get on a school trip when you're young and you get on the bus and you're going somewhere.
When we were in America the bus was our environment for two and a half months. It's, like, one big massive tour-bus and it's just like your own little world. It's like a home on the road, it gives a real sense of freedom.
Is there anything about touring that really turns you off?
Personally, the thing I least like about it is that there's so much temptation to party every night, and after a while your body begins to ache. That's the only qualm I have with it. For me there's no problems with the travelling and there's no problems with living in the environment of the coach or anything, no problems with being in a different place every day.
Has this temptation to party ever become a major problem, that might have affected the band's future?
Well, there was a couple of times when everybody just . . . the way we do it is, we make sure that we're always able to perform on stage. I mean if my body ever got so fucked that I couldn't, then I wouldn't do it 'cause it would be just like cheating myself and cheating people that listen to our music. But there's been times when maybe we'd been up too late and then the next day we're a bit spaced out. There's quite a lot of that really because we tend to go a bit mad whenever we're away, especially in America.
Do you go on stage drunk?
I never drink before a gig. But there's been a few times I've passed out and woken up the next day. You begin to realise that you don't want to choke on your own vomit or just be another sad loser. I think that always gives me a good kick up the arse when that happens.
What do young bands have to know before going on the road for their first major tour?
Always try and pace yourself. Really enjoy it and keep on being open-minded about it. Don't get depressed or homesick if you can help it. Always think about the good things. Think about, y'know, through all the travelling there's a gig at the end of it.
But does it not become a grind?
I think if you aren't enjoying it then you shouldn't do it. If you're, say, on your second tour or you're halfway into a big tour, and you're hating it and you want to go home, you should really question do you want to do it at all, in the long run.
So what's the most important thing for young bands to get right?
The most important thing is organisation. You have to make sure that, no matter how late you've partied the night before, you can still get up on time the next day to get to your destination. So if it says at the venue to be there for one o'clock to get the gear in, make sure you're there, 'cause otherwise you'll be complaining later on if you don't get a decent soundcheck. Make sure when you do get there you get all the stuff set up as quickly as possible. And if you're not big enough to afford a crew, get some friends down if you can and make sure everyone mucks in and helps. Get the sound-check done. Within the time you have do the best job possible. Then do the gig and just really enjoy yourself.
What sort of thing can go wrong if you're not properly organised?
You can be hours late for a gig. In fact, there's been a couple of times when we've missed gigs and that's how we learned - by our mistakes. One time, on the Continent, we were out the night before and someone forgot to put an alarm call in the place we were staying. We all woke up three hours late. We were meant to be supporting another band, but when we got to the gig the other band had gone on stage. That looks very bad. Avoid doing things like that!
So what's the bottom line?
Always make sure you can get up. If you're gonna be hung-over the next day or if you're gonna be tired, if it's an early start, you can at least sleep in the van. If you have a driver, make absolutely sure the driver's always sensible, y'know. You don't want him waking up the next day still pissed or anything.
What advice would you have for a band going on the road for the first time?
Lie back and enjoy it. Just give it a hundred percent every night and enjoy yourself and all the rest of the things will fall into place. Don't worry about things. If you sit down before you go and put down a list of a few points like 'Right, everybody has to get up early because we've a six-hour drive to this place'. Or if you've no roadies or if you're sharing drivers, share the chores evenly and fairly. Otherwise, just kick back and have a good time. I mean that's what you should be in the business for in the first place, for the love of music. And if you're not then you should just be an accountant or a banker.
Can you remember what was the worst thing that's happened to you while you were touring?
That time in France - we had a very prestigious gig supporting a biggish band, and there was a few record companies that wanted to see us. Another record company, not A...M, flew the whole way over from England to see us in France and we missed the gig. Fortunately, we signed to A...M, but things like that can endanger your chances with record deals and stuff.
Not to mention the fans!
That's right. You get a reputation for not caring about your fans. There's been a lot of Therapy? fans at a gig where we didn't turn up. There's an awful lot of people pissed off. There was a gig in Wales about two years ago which we pulled at the last minute, and it was only because the trip to Wales was so far and it would have taken us so long, and we weren't feeling well. At the end of the day, on reflection, we could have gotten up and driven there but we were just so fucked. And when we go to Wales, people still mention it to us and say maybe 'I'd driven three hours to get to the gig and youse weren't playing'. You have to consider your fans as well.
Finally, is there anywhere you don't like playing?
Not at all. I love playing. My favourite gigs are probably certain places in America, Austria, Germany and most of Ireland. It's like, they're the ones where I really like touring, because of the countryside, the people, the general atmosphere of the country. But I just love touring anywhere. We played Czechoslovakia a while back and we didn't know what to expect. And when we got there it was all grimy and dull just as you would imagine it to be. But then, when we did the gig it was one of the best gigs we'd ever done and the people couldn't help us enough. It was brilliant.