Jeremy Bolm – Touché Amoré ‘Life is short. Keep your loves close’
No strangers to the Australian touring circuit Touché Amoré are about to make their return to our shores alongside Turnover and Endless Heights. But before they even step foot in that seedy airport bathroom upon re-entering the country, we had to grab vocalist Jeremy Bolm for a trip down memory lane and an almost intrusive look into the frontman’s personal life and battles…
In July you’re due to tour Australia for the first time since you were here with Every Time I Die. What are some of your favourite memories of touring Australia?
“Spending time in Perth with the Break Even guys cliff jumping into the ocean is easily one of the best memories.”
What can Australia expect from your upcoming headline run with Turnover?
“A show where both bands play to the best of our abilities. “
Why do you think most bands hug Koala’s on their trips Down Under?
“My guess is that most tour managers drop bands off there to get a break and answer emails. Oh, and because there’s no other place I know of that offers koala hugs.”
If you had to choose one band to be your desert island band. Who would it be and why?
“Nirvana. Their music spans aggressive to mellow from Bleach to Unplugged so their catalogue offers every mood you may be in.”
Is Survived By was in many ways a springboard out of the hardcore genre for the band. Stage Four further moves away from conventional hardcore elements. How do you continue to push yourself artistically while ignoring the burden of fan expectation?
“I’m not sure we do that or have done that. I still consider TA a hardcore band. A lot of the bands that influence us aren’t, I suppose, conventional hardcore bands either… bands like Envy or Converge.”
“I’m not sure I ignore fan expectations either. I think we just get in a room and all of our different musical influences from Metal to Pop to Hip Hop to Post Rock all come together and turn into whatever our sound can be classified as. I like to keep it simple and just say we are a punk band.”
You’re often seen as the leaders of a new wave of hardcore bands. Why do you think your music resonates so deeply with people?
“Flattering for you to say so, but I’m not sure I’ll accept it. Hardcore moves in waves pretty frequently. I think we are currently living in a in-between state where Turnstile, Culture Abuse, and Angel Du$t have made hardcore fun and freeing but you also have Code Orange, Jesus Piece, etc.. bringing back a much more metallic sound that was popular in the late 90’s early 2000’s.”
“There’s tons of amazing bands all over the world releasing cassette tapes with primitive recordings reflecting back to a simpler time of four chord hardcore songs. If TA ever made an impact for a brief period I think thats a really cool thing, but I believe things are always changing and its what has kept hardcore going.. even if it’s in cycles.”
Stage Four is themed around dying and the inevitable end of life. What are some of your first experiences with death?
“Stage Four is primarily about the death of my Mother in 2014 as a result of Stage Four cancer. My first experiences were the loss of my grand parents on both sides then seeing my friend Adam get stabbed to death in a parking lot while attending Summer School before I started High School.”
“I’ve lost a fair amount of friends now to violence, car accidents, suicide and substances. Life is short. Keep your loves close.”
When constructing songs, how do you decide what works best musically around your often personal lyrics?
“I always write lyrics after the fact. I use the tone of the song to decide which direction I want it to go. Whether its more sad or angry or reflective, etc.”
Can you explain the meaning behind the Stage Four closing song ‘Skyscraper’?
“My Mother was obsessed with New York City. She always wanted souvenirs and picture perfect details of my travels. She had never seen it. The year she passed away my Brother and I took her to NYC so she could see all the things she dreamed about. It was the best experience of my life.”
Touché Amoré – Australian Tour 2017
With: Turnover and Endless Heights
WEDNESDAY, 5th JULY: THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE – LIC/AA
THURSDAY, 6th JULY: THE CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE – 18+
FRIDAY, 7TH JULY: THE FACTORY THEATRE, SYDNEY – LIC/AA
SATURDAY, 8th JULY: ARROW ON SWANSTON, MELBOURNE – AA
SUNDAY, 9TH JULY: CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE – 18+
TUESDAY, 11th JULY: FOWLERS LIVE, ADELAIDE – LIC/AA
WEDNESDAY, 12th JULY: AMPLIFIER BAR, PERTH – 18+ *
* ENDLESS HEIGHTS NOT APPEARING
