Interviews

Aaron Gillespie - UNDERØATH (Audio Interview)

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Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Feb 11, 2017

7 min read

A lot can be said about bands who break up, lose members and fade away in the abyss never to be seen or heard form again, but the ones who keep fighting to stay relevant and put in the hard yards are the ones who's legacy will last forever. UNDERØATH are a band who have had their far share of ups and downs over the years and they're back in the most commonly known line-up travelling the world as part of their Rebirth World Tour and to be honest it seems like no time has passed at all.

I sat down with drummer/clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie before their first international show of the tour and he didn't seem fazed about what was ahead of him for the rest of 2017. With balance restored within the band and friendships reforms as well as old wounds healed, it seems to be the fresh start the band have been wanting for so long. And what better way to celebrate than by playing their two most highly successful albums They're Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line back to back for a plethora of fans (both new and old). If you've been putting off buying a ticket (firstly uppercut yourself) then get one because as we witnessed in Brisbane last night the boys are certainly back and hungry for that feeling they had when making the albums over 10 years ago.

Aaron elaborates stating:

"Its a long show, it never really stops. Like if you listened to Chasing Safety then took a 3-4 minute break and listened to something else then Define the Great Line, thats what it is. Those 21 songs and it's also the longest show we've ever played in our career."

And fans (young and long time) so far have been lapping it up like Christmas coming early:

"Its been the best ticket numbers we've ever done in history. The US tour sold out 7 months in advance. Its been really flattering. We're really lucky to see this long [that] people still connect with those albums"

"I said to Spencer (Chamberlain) do you think when we start doing these shows people will be in their 30's drunk and fat and he's like 'No I think it'll be kids.' And it is! We meet 100 or 200 kids and some of them are 17 and I'm like 'How do you even know about these two albums?'

As it turns out a lot of word of mouth and older siblings passing on earlier releases is what brings these new underoathers through the doors. The spectacle of seeing UNDERØATH live is something else, especially with keyboardist Christopher Dudley absolutely headbanging while playing like no one is watching. These shows are one of a kind and you'd be stupid to miss out. Have a listen to the full interview below.