 |
| Panic! At The Disco |
The much anticipated return of Panic! At The Disco
has meant that this tour is the hottest ticket in town; the entire tour
selling out and with good reason too. Not only are Brendon Urie and Spencer
Smith back, delivering their unique blend of baroque pop-punk, but they are
joined by Australian quartet [ME] who are ones to watch in 2012.
 |
| [Me] |
 |
| Lead singer Luke on stage at Leeds |
Hey guys! So, it was the first night
of the tour last night with Panic! in Newcastle
LUKE- Great! The crowd response was
unreal and it was really vibing; we had a good time, but unfortunately we had a
few technical issues in the guitar department…
SPIKE- Picture a guitar amp blowing
up…literally one minute before going on stage!
L- So, yeah that was quite stressful
for me and then Damian, our guitarist, his stuff was playing up during the show
itself. But, apart from that it was a really good way to start the tour.
You played this venue- O2 Academy in Leeds on tour with Evanescence – is it nice being back
here?
L- We’re very glad to be back. This
venue sounds unreal and we had a ball last time we were here. I mean Leeds in general, we are big fans of the city.
S- It’s a very friendly city.
L- Yeah, a friendly city. Good cafes
and restaurants and last time we were here we went out and had a really big
night; it was a great, fun night. It was probably one of my highlights of the
last tour, Leeds .
You guys are originally from Melbourne - do you live in the UK
L- We’re a Melbourne
band but we’re from all over Australia
S- I’m the only one from Melbourne England
Your name [Me], where did it come
from? – I know you’re described as “ungoogleable”?
S- Yeah, someone told us that.
L- You just have to type in “Me” and
“band” and we come up. But, it is a bit of a strange name. We were after a
short name and we were going through loads of suggestions and then someone just
suggested “Me”. It was just so absurd, so bizarre and we had a bit of a
chuckle; “no, we couldn’t possibly do that” and then we were like “yeah, let’s
do it!”.
 |
In terms of influences, I hear The
Beatles, Queen, Zeppelin- a lot of British rock bands?
S- Classic rock, yeah!
L- We’re big fans of a lot of music
that has come out of Britain
S- A lot of classical music as well and
composers too.
L- Very varied stuff, across the band
as well there’s lots of stuff that us guys are into that bring different
elements to the band and that’s why you hear such an eclectic mix.
S- Newer bands as well; Radiohead and
Mars Volta.
L- We’re big fans of vocal harmony
bands, so Queen and The Beatles, The Beach Boys and groups like that which
vocally are very sort of theatrical with their harmonies we get into. We get
into our orchestrations and strings and horns and big choirs.
You recorded the album over here in
the UK-
L- Mid-year, so probably some time in
the summer. We recorded it from July to October last year down in Kent with the
producer Simon Barnecott and he’s done a bunch of pretty rad bands that we’re
all into and that’s why we wanted to work with him. He’s done Arctic Monkeys
and Kasabian and Editors and stuff like that. We had a lot of fun out there. We
had some of the stringed stuff down already by an Australian composer friend of
ours and then we had a session down in the studio in Kent
S- And somehow we managed to fit a
grand piano through a very small doorway!
L- We’ve pulled out all the bells and
whistles for this album but I reckon the next one there could be even more.
Your artwork and videos are very
detailed and intricate – was this important to you as a band to maintain a visual
side?
 |
| [Me] "Naked" single cover |
L- I’ve always been a big fan of bands
that put a lot of work into their branding; Radiohead, the stuff that they do
really goes with their music. It’s the same with Pink Floyd. So I would like to
be able to get to a level where it’s like that; not only the music speaks, but
the imagery and design. Panic! At The Disco definitely have something like
that, they’ve got that sort of cabaret vibe going.
S- Our genre of music goes really well
with visuals.
What do you guys have planned for
this year? A headline tour?
S- Definitely a headline tour planned
for later this year and some shows in Germany
and France
L- We’ll definitely be back up here a
couple of times. We’re releasing and EP/mini-album in March and then the album,
so it’s going to be a very big year.
Are you going to base yourselves
over here as opposed to going and playing in Australia
L- Yeah, we’re over here for quite a
while. We’re not overly interested in going back.
S- I don’t even have a room or clothes
over there now!
L- We’ve all packed up in Australia
S- We just don’t have the accents!
Thanks guys.
And here’s what
happened when [Me] and Panic! took to the stage…
 |
| [Me]'s bassist Michael Godde |
Est.1987
has heard only praise about [Me] and after chatting to the guys earlier we were
looking forward to seeing their live show for the first time, and it would be
fair to say we weren’t disappointed. An epic entrance and an epic opening; “Your
Favourite Colour” kicks off the set. With the catchiness of The Beatles, mixed
with the rock of Led Zeppelin as well as some classical tones thrown in for
good measure, [Me] are entertaining and crowd grabbing. With a firm fan base
already over here, after this tour it is set to grow. “Westward Backwards” really
captures singer Luke’s impressive vocal range and the band’s live essence, and includes
an impressive drum breakdown. [Me] are theatrical, but with the technicality
and stage presence to back it up. Single “Like A Fox” and “Working Life”
round-up a great start, for what is set to be a truly great evening.
 |
| [Me] |
If you have
got tickets for the Panic! tour, then you are in for a treat and if you haven’t,
console yourselves with the free [Me] download available HERE. The Australian
quartet were the perfect prelude to Panic! and are a band that we are excited
to see on a headline tour.
 |
| Panic! on stage at Leeds |
Leeds O2
Academy is an incredible venue in terms of sound but also aesthetic and Panic!
are a band that fit perfectly within this arena. The cyclorama was laden heavy
with worn theatre drapes and the stage awash with organ pipes and old
instruments. Panic! don’t put on a “concert”, they put on a “show”. Opener
“Ready To Go” speaks out to and spurs on the zealous crowd; they’re here and
they mean business and expect nothing less from their fans. Mainly playing songs from their debut album, such as
the cabaret-esque “But It’s Better If You Do” and tracks from their most recent
album “Vice and Virtues”, the duo, joined by a bassist and guitarist, prove
that they’re a band that still deserves to be one of the best at doing what
they do. Since Panic! joined the scene, bands have come and fallen by the
wayside, so what do Panic! do that is just so special?
 |
| Brendon Urie on stage at Leeds |
 |
| Panic! |
Lead singer
Brendon Urie quotes Foxy Shazam; “when times get tough, if you can’t handle the
rain, then you don’t deserve the rainbow”. Panic! have faced their adversaries
and the fact that they’re here today is a testament to them and their music. Their
set mixes their more electronic songs such as “Time to Dance” alongside the more lyrical
ballad based “Always”. Panic! anthems and crowd favourites “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” and “The
Ballad of Mona Lisa” are pitted against more unusual songs, proving that
Brendon really can turn his voice to any melody.
 |
| Panic! At The Disco |
Panic! were
here tonight to have fun and play around with songs; “Hurricane” turned into Depeche
Mode’s “Personal Jesus” for example. The Mario theme tune made an appearance and Brendon
wowed the audience with an impressive cover of The Darkness' “I Believe In A
Thing Called Love”. Closing the show with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and
Panic!’s own “Nearly Witches”, Brendon and the boys prove that they are one of
the best live bands around and with a new album being written this year Panic! definitely still have it!
