Texan metal gods Oh Sleeper are planning a return visit to our shores as part of the massive No Surrender tour. I recently caught up with the band’s lead vocalist Micah Kinard to chat about his love for Australia, his relationship with touring buddies The Chariot, and Oh Sleeper’s plans for world domination.
You were only just here in September. What made you want to return to Australia so soon?
Have you seen your country? We had an awesome time there. It was so much fun, and everyone we met and worked with down there was a total delight, so we definitely wanted to get back as soon as we could. The first offer that popped up we took, so we’re excited about it.
This tour’s traveling from the west to east of Australia. Are you looking forward to seeing a bit more of the countryside than you did last time?
I am! It was actually pretty surprising, when we went there last time, it was our first time ever and the shows were all great, we had an awesome time at them. But also Taperjean, the company that brought us over, they received a bunch of e-mails from other places that wanted us to come through there also. So that was a nice surprise. I think this time we’re trying to hit all those places that we got e-mails from and, like you said, see more of the countryside which I’m really excited about.
And it’s all happening in the space of just eight days. Does that fast and furious pace suit you, or would you prefer to do things a bit more leisurely?
You kind of just get used to it. We’ve been doing this for the past five, five and a half years and that’s just kind of the pace it’s set at, you know? I’m pretty sure anyone in a touring band, especially internationally, can relate. It’s just a lifestyle you’ve got to get used to. You start to realise that vacations for you are more just staying at your real house, sitting in your back yard in a lawn chair. That’s a vacation; not really getting up and going somewhere.
How do audiences in Australia differ from those back home?
Really they were super welcoming. The States are great. When you have a good show in the States, it’s definitely crazy and off the wall. But the thing that was really nice about going to Australia is that everyone had a genuine appreciation for you being there. Even if they didn’t come to see you, they still gave you the respect of watching and applauding and everything like that. The shows that we had over there, the vast majority of them got pretty crazy. And as far as the fans, they were stage diving and crowd surfing and everything like that. The crowds were good enough to get us thirsty to come back, so we’re excited.
You’re touring Australia with fellow countrymen The Chariot. Now you go way back with these guys and have toured America with them. Are you looking forward to having them on the road with you?
Oh definitely. The Chariot’s one of our favourite bands to tour with. We’ve done a number of tours with them over here in the States. It’s kind of a situation where everyone in the bands clicks with each another, with the respective members of the other bands and everything, we all mesh well and the second we get together it’s always a fun time, so thinking of touring the world with your some of your best friends is always a recipe for a good time.