Speaking With Shadows are currently getting ready to embark on a UK tour with The Last Carnivals – details about the shows can be seen above. We caught up with them to chat about it.
What are you most looking forward to about the tour with The Last Carnival?
This might seem like the obvious answer, but we just can’t wait to be playing the shows! Being on stage, being extremely loud.
Is there any city or venue you’re most excited about playing?
We are excited for all of them, but we have never played in Norwich before, ever, so we’re pretty excited about that! We hear it’s a pretty good venue too. It’s good to meet new people and see new places.
What can fans expect from the upcoming shows?
We will be playing what we think is our best live set yet! We will be giving each show 110%, and want everyone to get involved and have a good time. You can also expect to see lots of Sam pouting, and Lewis breaking most of his equipment. That is a comedy show in itself!
What do you like most about touring?
Aside from being on stage and doing our thing, we love seeing new places and meeting all the people that come to the shows. It’s great to meet all the guys that enjoy our music, and to meet new fans for the first time. Touring is kind of like going to see our friends in different parts of the country!
Is there anything you don’t like about touring?
Touring cuisine is anything but nutritious. Add in service station coffee, and you’ve got one hell of a smell in that van. It’s a small price to pay, but it lingers. We should probably say no more, but it’s made that little bit better when you’re on a 5 hour drive out of Glasgow and certain band members have just eaten fried haggis.
Have you got any interesting stories from tours gone by?
Where to start! Well, on our last tour with Summer City and King Canute, we went to visit Manchester’s finest clubs and gay bars after the show. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we had befriended a millionaire who insisted on paying for us to get into a strip club at 5am. Little about what happened after that is known…
What’s been the best show you’ve ever played?
Our favourite show to date was part of our tour with Taking Hayley last year. The venue was a sold out Academy 2 in Birmingham, the crowd was really involved and the sound was amazing. Everything came together perfectly and the gig went amazingly. It’s unreal to have a big crowd like that singing your music back at you and really getting into the music. It was so much fun! Good vibes all round.
Has there been any shows that haven’t gone so well?
We’ve had our fair share of bad shows. One in particular is worth mentioning as it’s the opposite of the show we just mentioned. It was our first ever gig in Birmingham, at a place called Eddie’s Rock Bar. The promoter and 2/4 bands didn’t show. It’s a big room, and was filled by the 5 of us, 4 of the guys in another band, 2 members of bar staff (who were a very nice audience) and two members of our family. We ended up playing to each other, then shook hands and went home. Quite a different gig altogether!
If you could tour with any band, who would you choose?
If we had to pick one in particular, we would say… fellow Nuneaton boys, Drop Down Smiling! They are our musical brothers and an incredible live band. That would be the most fun we could possibly have on tour, ever.
