Barely three months had past between our last interview with rockers VersaEmerge and their latest headline tour.
But three months can be a long time in the music business as rushonrock‘s Andy Spoors found out, when he met with one of Download 2011’s buzz bands!
rushonrock: So since the last time we spoke the band’s line-up has changed again, how’s it going?
VersaEmerge: Yeah Devin’s not here anymore.
rushonrock: Is it strange not to have him around?
VE: It’s definitely different, but we’re getting along just fine. He was with us for the whole time we toured before so it has been pretty strange.
rushonrock: Do you still talk much? Does he ring you every night to see how you are getting on?
VE: (Sierra) Yeah I spoke to him the other day, before we left. We’re all good friends there’s nothing bad or bitter or anything like that. He has a baby and he got married so he has a wife now.
rushonrock: So how are you finding being in the big time now? It’s your name that’s above the door, is it all a bit surreal?
VE: I love it. It’s really cool, we’re glad to be finally at a point where we can headline for the first time across here and it’s our show. You see the kids come out and you know they’re all there to see you, so it’s cool do that here. It’s just a really good feeling.
rushonrock: It’s been a few weeks since your last show here and the album has been about for a while now. Are you hoping that fans will be singing along with you at Download?
VE: Yeah we’ve had some great press over here with Kerrang TV and we’ve been in the magazine the past three times. And you can get that anywhere over here so I think it’s really good for people to discover us and reach out. The crowds have been coming and seeing us for the first time and there’s the kids that have been coming and seeing us everytime. So it’s cool that people are coming and want us as well!
rushonrock: The last time we spoke, we posed the question ‘would you be doing Download?’ and since then it’s been announced that you are! Are you excited?
VE: Yeah! We’ve never done any festivals across here before so we are really excited. We’ve done Slam Dunk and we’re doing Download and some other ones too.
rushonrock: Are you going to be hanging around for the whole weekend while you’re there? Are there any bands that you want to see?
VE: I don’t think so I think we have to go on somewhere else. We are pretty busy right now.
rushonrock: Did you get up to much on the UK headline tour?
VE: (Sierra) We stopped in the town of York on the way up to Newcastle. Is it the city of York or the Town of York? (Blake) It’s just York! Oh, ok, anyway we hung out there for the day and went and explored and had a lot of fun. If we have time we love to have a look round places and soak it all up.
rushonrock: So how did the headline shows turn out?
VE: Terrible! No-one’s ever there and everyone hates us and it sucks! No, it went great, the places were always packed. And it’s not even just that, the kids have a lot of energy, a lot of passion and seem to really like the album. They are always really stoaked to meet us and that just makes it so much more fun. We’ve been doing the meet and greets too so you get to meet the fans that have a ticket and we get to talk to them a little bit.
rushonrock: Have you had any strange questions from any of the meet and greets?
VE: Ehm yeah, well not so much strange questions but questions where I have no idea what the hell they have just said to me. And you find yourself thinking, what? What did you just say? (Sierra) I barely speak American. (Blake) American? (Sierra)I don’t wanna call it English because you speak English. I speak text language actually! Yeah she totally speaks in abbrevs…
rushonrock: How are you finding writing while you’re on tour?
VE: Well we’ve been really busy on the road with the driving, the meet and greets and sound checks. But yeah we write a few ideas, so when we get home we can talk about it and do all that.
rushonrock: In Kerrang! You said you didn’t want to give too much away.
VE: Why would we want to give too much away? We try and keep some things under wraps until we are ready to let them out.