Adrian Fitipaldes - Northlane (24/12/2013)
Touring nationally with the Big Day Out next January, The 59th Sound chats with Adrian Fitipaldes of Sydney's Northlane.
Hey Adrian, how's it going?
Good, mate. How are you?
I'm great. You must be excited to be playing Big Day Out next month?
Yep, very excited. It's our first Big Day Out so it's gonna be awesome.
Are there any bands you're really looking forward to catching while you're on the tour?
Definitely two in particular. Deftones and Tame Impala.
You guys played Soundwave and Push Over festivals this year. How do you think Big Day Out will be different to those festivals?
Big Day Out is a lot more mainstream, I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but it's definitely more of a mainstream festival. We're one of the more heavier bands on the lineup but it'll be cool. It's probably a bit out of our water but that's nothing we haven't faced before. Northlane like a good challenge so it's appropriate I guess.
How was the experience at Soundwave?
Soundwave was great, man. We were on really early, around 11:30 to midday each day and we still had an awesome attendance. It was something like eight thousand people, maybe more. I dunno. It was absolutely ridiculous.
Definitely would have been. Did you catch many bands live while on the festival?
Yeah I actually caught a fair few bands. I really made an effort to try and watch Linkin Park, Periphery, Bring Me The Horizon, Blink 182 and Metallica of course. It was mainly all the big acts later in the day after our set had finished and we'd showered up and stuff.
Northlane are heading off to the US early next year to tour with Bring Me The Horizon and Of Mice & Men which must be pretty exciting?
It's gonna be amazing. We just wrapped up our first US tour a couple of days ago and to go back so soon on a great tour is absolutely exciting.
You're also going to be doing some headline shows while you're over there. Will they be your first headline shows of the states?
That is correct, yeah. We're doing about twelve or thirteen shows all headlining. It's gonna be cool.
How would you compare the Americans crowds to the ones here?
You can't really compare the two, man. Our shows and our fan base are absolutely mental here, that's not to say they're not over there because we had an overwhelming reception when we just toured there. The scale is a little smaller though because it's like starting from scratch again. We were lucky enough to jump on a tour that was great with Veil of Maya and we had great crowds to play to. There were a lot of people that already knew our material and were getting into it. So I guess I'd say they are a little bit different but I can see them becoming the same in the near future.
How would you describe a Northlane show to those who have never seen you live before?
There's a lot of crowd participation. Mainly because our music is very bouncy and a bit more groovy, I guess it's a more modern style of metal. I try and get the crowd involved as much as possible, things like getting them to jump up and down and put their hands in the air, it's definitely more of a show vibe rather than a concert.
Northlane have toured with a lot of bands in their short career, which one band would you say was the most fun to tour with?
I'm going to have to say Structures from Toronto in Canada just because they've almost become a brother band of ours. We'd do anything for them and they'd do anything for us. We've managed to create some really good friends and it's one of the bands we have the most fun touring with for sure.
What about some bands that you haven't toured with but would like to?
Definitely Volumes from Los Angeles. I actually had the pleasure of meeting them while we were in the states and they were very nice to us and we made friends very quickly and I'm sure we'll be touring with them in the short term future. Also, finally we're getting the chance to tour Architects in Europe next year. They're another band I've been dying to tour with. That tour is gonna be amazing.
I just want to ask about how Northlane came to be because you guys only formed a few years ago.
Well it started off with our bassist Alex (Milovic) and our guitarist Jonathan (Deiley) sharing songs they'd been writing together over the internet. They ended up hashing out about six songs which became Hollow Existence our first release. Between the two of them, once they had the songs down, they started recruiting members. They got Josh (Smith, guitars) and we had an old drummer in the past named Brendan (Derby) but he's no longer with us of course because we have Nic (Pettersen). So basically the original lineup was Jon, Alex, Brendan, myself and Josh and that's how the band started pretty much, through the internet and common interest.
What bands inspired you to want to play in a metal band?
That's a good one. The obvious answer, being in Australia, is Parkway Drive. I grew up watching them absolutely dominate and establish the heavy music scene in Australia pretty much. They really paved the way for bands like The Amity Affliction and even bands like us. They really put Australia on the map for heavy music so Parkway Drive would be the main huge inspiration.
It must have been a pretty massive honour to tour with Parkway not too long ago then?
Yeah definitely, man. It is actually quite surreal. I was a young boy watching Parkway Drive for the first time, fifteen or sixteen or so and I'm twenty two now. To be touring with those guys and be friends with them is mind boggling, it definitely boggles the mind. Plus, they've been saying nothing but the nicest things about us. I watched an interview yesterday where Winston (McCall), their vocalist, said that Northlane will be the next big thing. I was very humbled and flattered by that.
There's been a bit of talk about Northlane being the next big thing and Singularity, your latest album, has been topping a lot of countdowns this year. What does that feel like?
Sometimes I can't take it too seriously because I don't like to let things get to my head. I'm a pretty chilled, down to earth guy and I try not to take things too seriously but at the same time I'm very flattered and very humbled by it all. A lot of bands struggle to even get recognised on the internet let alone TV, news and radio. It's very humbling.
Something a little different now. What would you say is your favourite album release of the year?
That's a good question. I would have to probably say Bring Me The Horizon's Sempiternal, not just for my music tastes but for what that album has been able to do for the band. They've really blown away everyone's expectations and really reached that next level that every band is trying to get to. I take my hat off to Bring Me The Horizon.
What one thing that Northlane have done would you say you are most proud of?
This is probably a bit more of a not so typical answer but one thing that I'm proud of is that we've stuck with it and haven't given up. There have been plenty of hard moments where we've questioned whether we still want to be in a band. There was plenty of times before we were signed and before we had released anything we weren't really getting any interest, like a lot of people don't know that Northlane were almost over before we really got started. I've just really thankful that we've stayed motivated and stayed confident and kept working hard.
You mentioned about being signed, what does it feel like to be signed to such a big label like UNFD?
Really good, man. We were trying to find labels to release our first record Discoveries for a while and nothing really seemed to feel right until we were approached by Unified. There was something about their name that I really liked, like they used to be known as We Are Unified but it's now just Unified, there was just that team and family vibe and that's what they're all about. We're really close and we work really well with the people at the office. All the team are amazing, they stay up to ridiculous hours of the morning working for us so I'm extremely grateful for that.
What words of wisdom would you give to aspiring musicians?
Don't give up and don't do it for the money. Don't rely on anyone unless you have to. Don't be afraid to be independent and write your own music and make your own band. The world is full of opportunities and the internet is a powerful tool for marketing and getting your music out there. Really focus on your music and getting it out there and definitely don't give up.
What would you say is the best and worst thing about being in Northlane?
The best thing is that I'm probably going to be able to travel to places that people will never, ever get to see in their life. I never thought that I would see Russia in my lifetime but I went to Russia this year and that's just one of many of the far out places that we've been. Just to rattle off a few more: Czech Republic, Slovenia and a lot of eastern Europe and we're gonna do it all again next year. We're going to be going to places two or three times, maybe even more in the space of my life. I've already out travelled my parents and a lot of the people that I know and that for me is the best thing, to do so much with my life and get as much experience as I can. The worst thing is that there is a lot of sacrifice involved with that. I have a girlfriend and a loving family and I miss them terribly all the time when I'm on tour. Yes we are doing really well as a band but I'm still struggling to make ends meet with bills and everything at times so it can be a little bit of a struggle financially but I'm getting by so that's all I ask for. I'm definitely not a greedy man, I just want to get by. So I guess the best thing would be the travel experience and the worst thing would be the sacrifice.
It sounds like 2014 is going to be a hell of a lot of touring for Northlane so when you get some time away from the band and the music and everything what do you like to get up to?
I like to work on my own personal creative projects. I haven't really advertised anything yet but I'm taking my time writing a bit of my own music. I'm really into photography and video as well so I'll be working on future Northlane videos and things like that. Other than that I do enjoy catching up with friends, watching some cool movies, reading some books and lately I'm really enjoyed just chilling by the pool at my house enjoying the beautiful Australian weather.
We'll wrap it up there. Thanks very much for your time and have a good Christmas and new year.
Thank you, mate. All the best.
Matt Barton
Hey Adrian, how's it going?
Good, mate. How are you?
I'm great. You must be excited to be playing Big Day Out next month?
Yep, very excited. It's our first Big Day Out so it's gonna be awesome.
Are there any bands you're really looking forward to catching while you're on the tour?
Definitely two in particular. Deftones and Tame Impala.
You guys played Soundwave and Push Over festivals this year. How do you think Big Day Out will be different to those festivals?
Big Day Out is a lot more mainstream, I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but it's definitely more of a mainstream festival. We're one of the more heavier bands on the lineup but it'll be cool. It's probably a bit out of our water but that's nothing we haven't faced before. Northlane like a good challenge so it's appropriate I guess.
How was the experience at Soundwave?
Soundwave was great, man. We were on really early, around 11:30 to midday each day and we still had an awesome attendance. It was something like eight thousand people, maybe more. I dunno. It was absolutely ridiculous.
Definitely would have been. Did you catch many bands live while on the festival?
Yeah I actually caught a fair few bands. I really made an effort to try and watch Linkin Park, Periphery, Bring Me The Horizon, Blink 182 and Metallica of course. It was mainly all the big acts later in the day after our set had finished and we'd showered up and stuff.
Northlane are heading off to the US early next year to tour with Bring Me The Horizon and Of Mice & Men which must be pretty exciting?
It's gonna be amazing. We just wrapped up our first US tour a couple of days ago and to go back so soon on a great tour is absolutely exciting.
You're also going to be doing some headline shows while you're over there. Will they be your first headline shows of the states?
That is correct, yeah. We're doing about twelve or thirteen shows all headlining. It's gonna be cool.
How would you compare the Americans crowds to the ones here?
You can't really compare the two, man. Our shows and our fan base are absolutely mental here, that's not to say they're not over there because we had an overwhelming reception when we just toured there. The scale is a little smaller though because it's like starting from scratch again. We were lucky enough to jump on a tour that was great with Veil of Maya and we had great crowds to play to. There were a lot of people that already knew our material and were getting into it. So I guess I'd say they are a little bit different but I can see them becoming the same in the near future.
How would you describe a Northlane show to those who have never seen you live before?
There's a lot of crowd participation. Mainly because our music is very bouncy and a bit more groovy, I guess it's a more modern style of metal. I try and get the crowd involved as much as possible, things like getting them to jump up and down and put their hands in the air, it's definitely more of a show vibe rather than a concert.
Northlane have toured with a lot of bands in their short career, which one band would you say was the most fun to tour with?
I'm going to have to say Structures from Toronto in Canada just because they've almost become a brother band of ours. We'd do anything for them and they'd do anything for us. We've managed to create some really good friends and it's one of the bands we have the most fun touring with for sure.
What about some bands that you haven't toured with but would like to?
Definitely Volumes from Los Angeles. I actually had the pleasure of meeting them while we were in the states and they were very nice to us and we made friends very quickly and I'm sure we'll be touring with them in the short term future. Also, finally we're getting the chance to tour Architects in Europe next year. They're another band I've been dying to tour with. That tour is gonna be amazing.
I just want to ask about how Northlane came to be because you guys only formed a few years ago.
Well it started off with our bassist Alex (Milovic) and our guitarist Jonathan (Deiley) sharing songs they'd been writing together over the internet. They ended up hashing out about six songs which became Hollow Existence our first release. Between the two of them, once they had the songs down, they started recruiting members. They got Josh (Smith, guitars) and we had an old drummer in the past named Brendan (Derby) but he's no longer with us of course because we have Nic (Pettersen). So basically the original lineup was Jon, Alex, Brendan, myself and Josh and that's how the band started pretty much, through the internet and common interest.
What bands inspired you to want to play in a metal band?
That's a good one. The obvious answer, being in Australia, is Parkway Drive. I grew up watching them absolutely dominate and establish the heavy music scene in Australia pretty much. They really paved the way for bands like The Amity Affliction and even bands like us. They really put Australia on the map for heavy music so Parkway Drive would be the main huge inspiration.
It must have been a pretty massive honour to tour with Parkway not too long ago then?
Yeah definitely, man. It is actually quite surreal. I was a young boy watching Parkway Drive for the first time, fifteen or sixteen or so and I'm twenty two now. To be touring with those guys and be friends with them is mind boggling, it definitely boggles the mind. Plus, they've been saying nothing but the nicest things about us. I watched an interview yesterday where Winston (McCall), their vocalist, said that Northlane will be the next big thing. I was very humbled and flattered by that.
There's been a bit of talk about Northlane being the next big thing and Singularity, your latest album, has been topping a lot of countdowns this year. What does that feel like?
Sometimes I can't take it too seriously because I don't like to let things get to my head. I'm a pretty chilled, down to earth guy and I try not to take things too seriously but at the same time I'm very flattered and very humbled by it all. A lot of bands struggle to even get recognised on the internet let alone TV, news and radio. It's very humbling.
Something a little different now. What would you say is your favourite album release of the year?
That's a good question. I would have to probably say Bring Me The Horizon's Sempiternal, not just for my music tastes but for what that album has been able to do for the band. They've really blown away everyone's expectations and really reached that next level that every band is trying to get to. I take my hat off to Bring Me The Horizon.
What one thing that Northlane have done would you say you are most proud of?
This is probably a bit more of a not so typical answer but one thing that I'm proud of is that we've stuck with it and haven't given up. There have been plenty of hard moments where we've questioned whether we still want to be in a band. There was plenty of times before we were signed and before we had released anything we weren't really getting any interest, like a lot of people don't know that Northlane were almost over before we really got started. I've just really thankful that we've stayed motivated and stayed confident and kept working hard.
You mentioned about being signed, what does it feel like to be signed to such a big label like UNFD?
Really good, man. We were trying to find labels to release our first record Discoveries for a while and nothing really seemed to feel right until we were approached by Unified. There was something about their name that I really liked, like they used to be known as We Are Unified but it's now just Unified, there was just that team and family vibe and that's what they're all about. We're really close and we work really well with the people at the office. All the team are amazing, they stay up to ridiculous hours of the morning working for us so I'm extremely grateful for that.
What words of wisdom would you give to aspiring musicians?
Don't give up and don't do it for the money. Don't rely on anyone unless you have to. Don't be afraid to be independent and write your own music and make your own band. The world is full of opportunities and the internet is a powerful tool for marketing and getting your music out there. Really focus on your music and getting it out there and definitely don't give up.
What would you say is the best and worst thing about being in Northlane?
The best thing is that I'm probably going to be able to travel to places that people will never, ever get to see in their life. I never thought that I would see Russia in my lifetime but I went to Russia this year and that's just one of many of the far out places that we've been. Just to rattle off a few more: Czech Republic, Slovenia and a lot of eastern Europe and we're gonna do it all again next year. We're going to be going to places two or three times, maybe even more in the space of my life. I've already out travelled my parents and a lot of the people that I know and that for me is the best thing, to do so much with my life and get as much experience as I can. The worst thing is that there is a lot of sacrifice involved with that. I have a girlfriend and a loving family and I miss them terribly all the time when I'm on tour. Yes we are doing really well as a band but I'm still struggling to make ends meet with bills and everything at times so it can be a little bit of a struggle financially but I'm getting by so that's all I ask for. I'm definitely not a greedy man, I just want to get by. So I guess the best thing would be the travel experience and the worst thing would be the sacrifice.
It sounds like 2014 is going to be a hell of a lot of touring for Northlane so when you get some time away from the band and the music and everything what do you like to get up to?
I like to work on my own personal creative projects. I haven't really advertised anything yet but I'm taking my time writing a bit of my own music. I'm really into photography and video as well so I'll be working on future Northlane videos and things like that. Other than that I do enjoy catching up with friends, watching some cool movies, reading some books and lately I'm really enjoyed just chilling by the pool at my house enjoying the beautiful Australian weather.
We'll wrap it up there. Thanks very much for your time and have a good Christmas and new year.
Thank you, mate. All the best.
Matt Barton