The Vans Warped Tour continues to travel across North America. Back on June 30, Ground Control was invited to check out the fifth stop of the tour in the scorching hot sun of Las Vegas.
Throughout the day, it seemed that every artist we interviewed had two things to talk about: 1. The heat and 2. The band Sharks.
Originally discovered by Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem, the UK-based four-piece earned high praise backstage at Warped from bands like Against Me, Foxy Shazam and Lucero.
Ground Control sat down with lead singer James Mattock to discuss the band’s recent success, their thoughts on the Warped Tour and plans for their first full-length album.
Barry Taylor vs. James Matlock, singer for The Sharks
Barry Taylor: You guys definitely embody everything that describes a buzz band. Are you aware of the number of other bands that have been giving you praise on the tour?
James Mattock: Yeah. We take it half-seriously. We’re just doing our thing. We’re really happy about it and our egos are humongous [laughs]. But it doesn’t really affect us, we just keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve actually taken two steps back for our performances because we lost our bass player and we’ve been having to rework all that sort of stuff again which is kind of frustrating. But everyone is really having a ton of fun here and we’re happy to be here, so it’s cool.
BT: You guys have the connection to Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon. How did that happen?
JM: [Gaslight Anthem] just asked us to go on tour and we met and became really great friends with those guys. So much so that they took us out for a second time and we did a European tour. We’re good friends now, they’re really good guys.
BT: Now you’re part of the Warped Tour. Is this festival known in the UK?
JM: Yeah, back home Warped Tour is massive but obviously it’s not an English thing – so I never expected to come, never ever. Even when we got asked I was like, “Wow.” I didn’t see it coming. But obviously we’d jump at the chance regardless of where it’s gone since the start, in terms of the bands and stuff. We’re happy to play.
BT: So far you’re five shows into the tour. How’s it been going?
JM: I’m still having lots of fun. But [the festival] is two months long so I’m not expecting it to get any more fun. I’m actually expecting the opposite, which is gonna suck. Really it’s the heat that I can’t bear. Being from England, I’ve never felt anything like it. So when I’ve got to go out there and play every day, it’s like declaring war on myself. Plus, we’ve had to teach our driver all the bass lines for the tour so we’re having to do the same seven songs everyday which isn’t normally the way we roll but we have no choice at the moment. So we just stick to what we know and just play our best.
BT: How do the North American audiences compare to the ones back home?
JM: Really, really cool. Really friendly and polite for one. Super receptive, you just feel welcome and it’s awesome. I had no idea it would be like this. When I think about playing back home now, I don’t think I’d ever want to do that again. It’s like, people are so cold when you go out and play. It’s so, so tough to get anyone worked up about your band. Here it just seems a lot easier so it’s a nice kind of break.
BT: Now that you’ve got this momentum with the band and a great deal of opportunities have you set any goals for yourself?
JM: It’s step by step. We just want to get this tour in and then we’re going to do our album. We’re really looking forward to that. Like ninety percent of [the time] we’re just thinking about the album, we’re writing on the bus. It’s our first full length so it’s a really big deal for us. So first things first we’ve got to get that done and then we’re gonna do some more touring. We’re already booked up until the end of the year so we’re not really thinking too much ahead.
BT: Have you set a timeline for the release of the album?
JM: Early next year, just before spring time. Probably February or March.
Artist:
www.travelsunderground.tumblr.com/
www.myspace.com/sharks
www.facebook.com/sharksuk
www.twitter.com/sharksband
Album:
The Sharks' full-length debut, The Joys of Living 2008-2010, is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
