MISS MAy I
Ohio’s heavies brace to destroy the Uk in the new year
HappY 10 Years togetHer! does it feel liKe a decade since miss maY i started?
LEVI BENTON (VOCALS): “Not at all! Our new record Shadows Inside has a whole new teen vibe to it so we feel like we’re 16 again, everything is fresh and exciting again. We’ve had our years of thinking older bands were lame because they didn’t want to party all night, though – now we’re them! It’s crazy looking at flyers from our early gigs – 90% of the bands we played with aren’t around now.”
wHat was it liKe opening for trivium Here in 2014?
“We grew up watching Trivium so it was incredible climbing up from fans to supporting them in another country. Their production was inspiring, too – bands where we come from just use a backdrop and some lights but Trivium have a mountain and snow falling during songs! What are you talking about, snow? We’re just used to strobe lights! Those crazy tours make us feel young again; we have jaded times but they help us realise what we want to aim for. The only downside is when you ask how much it costs. You regret asking…”
do You taKe anY Home comforts on tHe bus?
“We’ve a whole pharmacy with us because Jerod [Boyd, drums] is fitness training. Over the last few years we’ve filled old road cases with workout gear – it’s a nice stress reliever to work out to some music before soundcheck. Plus if we’re grumpy, we put our energy into working out.”
wHat’s tHe most unusual gig You’ve plaYed so far?
“We played a weird camping festival in the middle of nowhere in the US. We were playing at 3am and everyone was so relaxed. While we were playing, people started pulling up in their golf carts, eating crisps and watching us. It was like a family reunion. There was a moshpit right next to these people chilling in their golf carts, wearing pyjamas because they drove out so late to watch us. If I could go around download in a golf cart that drives me right up to the stage, that’d be perfect.”