Mayday Parade: “Playing those songs again brought a lot of that youthful energy back”

Mayday Parade: “Playing those songs again brought a lot of that youthful energy back”

By Eloise Bulmer

Aug 3, 2017 12:50

10 years on from when Mayday Parade released their debut album 'A Lesson In Romantics' they're pulling out all the stops to celebrate a decade with the record. Full of tracks that can be described as nothing less than pop-punk classics, these songs soundtracked thousands of teenage years across the globe and continue to inspire the rose-tinted glasses when they're played today.

Looking back with all the experience the band have accrued since touring the world multiple times, there is one thing they would do differently: “our only regret as a band is probably not getting to make the follow up record to ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ that we wanted. They wanted us to do a lot of things we weren’t comfortable with in the recording process for ‘Anywhere But Here’. I still think the record is a good record, but not necessarily what we wanted to make at that time,” they recall.

Despite being pushed to do things a certain way with the follow up to ‘A Lesson In Romantics’, the album continued to set the band on a path they’re still on today. Being able to tour the world is just one of the perks of their job, and one that they still enjoy even after ten years. The band are heading over to the UK in September to bring the 10 Year Anniversary tour to fans this side of the pond. “We are all very excited to be doing the ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ tour in the UK. We know this album is a fan favourite and it’s awesome to see the crowd reaction to these songs, it’s going to be a great tour.”

Performing a set made up of tracks that are now ten years old is always going to be a little strange for a band that has released four full-length albums since, but the band are taking it all in their stride. Regarding how they’re feeling to be bringing the past back to life, the band say: “I think it’s more fun than anything, mainly because that record is such a nostalgic record for some people that they bring a lot of excitement to the show and we feed on that and get excited ourselves,” 

Whether celebrating this anniversary will influence any of the band’s newest material is yet to be heard, but they say that “playing those songs again brought a lot of that youthful energy back, and I think it shows in some of the new material we’re working on.” Fans of their earlier material should keep an ear out for what they release next.

In the mean time, Mayday Parade’s tour arrives in the UK on September 18 and comes with support from With Confidence, Waterparks and All Get Out. The band are looking forward to exploring the UK again: “there’s so much rich history in the U.K. that we just don’t have in America because of the age of the country. We always enjoy going out to sight-see and find new places.” Check out the full UK/Europe tour dates below:

SEPTEMBER
18 NOTTINGHAM Rock City
19 LEEDS Stylus
20 NEWCASTLE O2 Academy
21 GLASGOW O2 ABC
22 MANCHESTER Academy
23 BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute
25 OXFORD O2 Academy
26 CAMBRIDGE Junction
27 BRIGHTON Concorde
29 BRISTOL O2 Academy
30 LONDON O2 Forum

OCTOBER
02 AMSTERDAM Melkweg (Holland)
03 COLOGNE Essigfabrik (Germany)
04 MUNICH Backstage Halle (Germany)