COUNTERPARTS
Canadian bulldogs set their sights on Ally Pally
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY OF TOURING SO FAR?
BRENDAN MURPHY (VOCALS): “The most fun I’ve had was in Australia with Every Time I Die and Letlive, then Japan with Expire straight after. We were treated so well, we were given hotel rooms we didn’t necessarily deserve and the shows were crazy. Australia is so familiar to us coming from Canada – it feels like home – but some Australians tell us they’ve never seen snow and they want to see it there. They’re nuts – snow is the worst!”
WHAT DO COUNTERPARTS GET UP TO ON DAYS OFF?
“You know those starter pack memes? Our merch guy, Tre, made one of a Counterparts off day, which involves a hotel hot tub, a box of wine, pizza and The Wedding Singer. It happens every day but I’m never sick of it. Sometimes we go to waterparks or karaoke bars but if nothing’s open and we can’t realise our full potential, we stick to the wine ritual. One day, I’ll rent a conference room and projector for a Counterparts Wedding Singer viewing with fans – bring your own alcohol so we can watch the greatest movie ever made.”
EVER SEEN ANYTHING UNEXPECTED IN A COUNTERPARTS CROWD?
“We played New York’s iMatter Festival, which is a stage on a racetrack and it gets quite muddy. Someone was laying in the mud while we were playing Witness and their friends were scooping up mud and burying them in it. The kid in the video for that song is digging his own grave, so we weren’t sure if this was a tribute or an artistic revisiting of the video, but it was hard to keep a straight face. Hopefully they lived!”
YOU’RE OPENING FOR ARCHITECTS NEXT MONTH. WHAT’S IT LIKE ON THE ROAD WITH OUR LADS?
“When we first toured with them in 2011 we instantly hit it off and we’ve been friends ever since. The last time we toured with them in 2015, doors were at 7pm and we usually played at 7.30pm or 8pm, but some venues told us to play 15 minutes after doors. I remember [vocalist] Sam Carter telling them it was unacceptable because they know what it’s like to be in that situation and they spoke up for us. Architects really care about us.”