Taking Back Sunday to play Vicar Street

From the band's landmark 2002 debut Tell All Your Friends to their most recent full-length, 2016's Tidal Wave, Taking Back Sunday have evolved from a key player in the early 2000s emo scene to a genre-defying rock band who have three gold albums without ever ceasing to push the limitations of their sound. Fittingly their upcoming Twenty, a 21-song collection set for release in January 2019 via Craft Recordings, will take a step back in time spanning all seven of their full-length albums.

Now the group have announced a Dublin date at Vicar Street, on 16^th June 2019.

Considering the band have been around for 20 years, it seems impossible to think it almost didn't happen...

“When I joined Taking Back Sunday in 1999, it was the first real band that I had ever been a part of," says John Nolan, (current guitarist and co-lead vocalist). "But it never crossed my mind that I would be doing this twenty years later. When I came in to audition it was just  Antonio [Longo] and [founding  TBS  guitarist]  Eddie  Reyes.  Eddie had started enough bands that he was like, 'I know how to do this, I can just call one guy.' But it was a crazy thing. When it started out, there was a lot more likelihood that it would fizzle out in a few months than it would last a few years.  I tried out, and basically after we jammed for a couple of hours Eddie was like, 'All right, you're in. You have to get some different equipment though... and I'll sell it to you.' I think he sold me a head and cabinet for $200 [that] had to be worth at least $600.”

“My entry into the band is pretty interesting. One day my brother said, 'Hey, my friend is looking for a drummer and he wanted to know if you wanted to try out.'" Says Mark O'Connell (drums). "But once I realized he was talking about Eddie, I had second thoughts. I remembered Eddie was the jerk who would yell at me and Shaun and all of our friends in front of Shaun's house when we would hang out there because he would be going to Movielife practice. So I said, 'No, I don't want to play in a band with that guy.' Then maybe two months later Shaun and I were hanging out [with] my mutual friend at a restaurant where Antonio worked and our friend said, 'Yo, my boy needs a drummer for his band if you want to try out.' The first song I heard was 'Go On' and I was like, 'Wow, this definitely has a lot of potential,' so I agreed. On my first tryout I remember walking in and seeing John, Antonio and then guess who's there? Eddie Reyes. I was like, 'Oh, what's up, man? How are you doing?' That was it.”

Tickets €29.00 inclusive of booking fee charges, on sale this Friday, December 7th at 9AM.