Source: Promo Image
Rock five-piece Decade have got a very exciting summer ahead of them, including the coveted Slam Dunk Festival this weekend. In preparation for the shows, guitarist Connor Fathers gave an insight in to the band’s journey since the release of second album Pleasantries earlier this year, their Slam Dunk experience and what they have planned for the rest of 2017.
MOSH: It’s been a few months now since the release of your second album, Pleasantries. How have you found the reception to be from your existing fans, and has it helped you develop a wider audience?
Connor Fathers: The response from our friends and peers has been great. So cool to hear our tracks on the radio again and it genuinely feels like people really got what we were trying to do with this record, which is amazing.
MOSH: Is there anything you’ve particularly changed about how you perform your live shows since the release from the way you did when touring in support of Good Luck?
CF: Honestly, not really. We’ve always just been a plug-in-and-play sort of live band, as rock ‘n’ roll always was. It’s much the same now as it ever has been; five dudes doing their best, just gradually declining in age and mental state.
MOSH: Have you set yourselves any goals when approaching live shows for the new album?
CF: We wanted our shows to be fairly candid and gimmick-free. The record is a collection of honest songs so we just want to recreate them as honestly as possible at every show, if that means a couple bum-notes here and there because you had a pint too many before the show, then so be it, it’s just who we are.
MOSH: It wasn’t long ago that you announced you’ll be playing at Slam Dunk Festival, which is not long away now. The festival is also a pretty big landmark for a band, although you did play in 2014 on tour first album tour. Do you see it as an opportunity to really put yourselves out there and if so do you have any special plans for the sets?
CF: The last time we played Slam Dunk Festival they were some of our best ever shows. Just bonkers. It’s a few years on now and it can be difficult to know what to expect, but we’re certainly going to give it our best and have a good laugh in the process.
MOSH: Do you find that certain challenges arise during festival performances that might not when you’re playing your own shows? What helps you get through them?
CF: You don’t often get a lot of time to check that everything works before a set at a festival, which can make for a lot of hectic scrambling around mid-song to try and suss out the issue. Best thing to do in my opinion is to have a beer about it and whenever something does go horrifically wrong, just try to enjoy that moment of crippling embarrassment and make it good to watch.
MOSH: When you’re not performing yourself at Slam Dunk, is there anyone you’re keen to check out?
CF: SO many amazing bands playing this year! I’ll be trying to catch Citizen, Turnover, Blackfoxxes, Counterfeit, Boston Manor, Deaf Havana, I Am The Avalanche and The Bronx.
MOSH: Without going in to too much detail if you can’t, what else do you have lined up for this year?
CF: We’ve got 2000 Trees after Slam Dunk which is going to be another ace festival and then we’ve got a really exciting tour to announce in the near future… Lots of fun. We’ll have a new single out too so eyes on the prize boys and girls.
