Illinois-based pop-punk band, The Copyrights, are about to release their new album, ‘Report’, via Red Scare Industries on 26th August. They’re also featuring on the label’s 10-Year compilation which features >17 new tracks – Direct Hit!, Teenage Bottlerocket, Masked Intruder and of course The Copyrights are included. We have a track from ‘Report’ for you today. Check out Fireworks below:
Not only this but the band are coming over to Europe. No UK dates we’re afraid but if you are on mainland Europe get prepared:
03.09.2014 FRA / Besançon / Les Passagers du Zinc
04.09.2014 FRA/ Selestat / Le Tigre
05.09.2014 NL / Rotterdam / Worm
06.09.2014 B / Vorselaar/ Veusseleir Calling w/ Mickey Erg
07.09.2014 GER / Bonn / Bla
08.09.2014 GER / Osnabrück / Substanz
09.09.2014 GER / Hannover / Rattenloch
10.09.2014 GER / Berlin / Wild at Heart
12.09.2014 GER / Nürnberg / Coal Club
13.09.2014 A / Wien / Das Bach w/ Dee Cracks
14.09.2014 A / Graz / Sub
15.09.2014 A / Innsbruck / PMK
16.09.2014 I / Genova/ Terra di Nessuno
17.09.2014 CH / Geneva / L’Ecurie
18.09.2014 FRA / Lyon / Warm Audio
19.09.2014 FRA / Morthormiers / Festival l’Automne de Morthormiers
20.09.2014 FRA / Clermont Ferrand / Raymond Bar
21.09.2014 FRA / Toulouse / La Dynamo
We interviewed Luke (drums, songwriting) and Brett (guitar, vocals) about touring all over the world, the Red Scare compilation and whether the UK is anything like it’s depicted in Alan Partridge.
Hey, The Copyrights. You guys are American and you did a show with Andrew WK at a Veterans of Foreign Wars’ post [a social club for war veterans] – what was that like? Did you get to party with the man himself?Brett: The show was surreal. The room where the bands played was very small and probably usually is used for wedding receptions or council meetings. It had a small stage and lots of blinking disco lights. The regulars in the bar cleared out pretty quickly during the opener, a hip-hop act. Not surprised by that at all. Then we played to a weird group of bored adults, and a few kids skanking awkwardly. A hardcore band followed, playing to a sparse and frightened crowd lining the edges of the room. Andrew WK showed up during the band and sat silently in the back room, hiding, at a table by himself, facing the wall, with sunglasses on and a hat pulled down tight, chugging sugar free red bull and occasionally mumbling to himself. Unapproachable. He played and it was great, the kids loved it, and he promptly bolted out the back door. I don’t think he felt like partying.So coming back to you being American, have you played in Europe that much? What’s it like compared to the US?
Luke: We’ve been to mainland Europe twice, and it’s awesome! Compared to the U.S., I would say the crowds are definitely more enthusiastic in Europe. They want you to play for a lot longer than U.S. crowds. It’s a good time and we can’t wait to go back.Are you planning to play the UK soon? Let’s talk about what happened with Kerplunk Fest in 2012 where you got turned away from the border. Why was that?
Luke: Hopefully, as long as we DON’T GET THROWN IN PRISON AGAIN. We didn’t have the right paperwork in 2012 for that fest thing, and this was the second time we didn’t have it, so we just figured we’d say we were “on vacation” at the customs desk. It didn’t work. We were stuck in a holding cell in Heathrow all day – interviewed, fingerprinted, and then taken to a detainee center that night, and flown out the next morning back to Chicago. They locked us in cells for the night! We had a TV in our cell, and Funburg watched it all night. Adam went up to the biggest guy in the yard and punched him as soon as we got there to gain respect. Brett got “survivor” tattooed on his knuckles.But honestly, we’re trying to get something sorted out to finally play some shows in the UK in March. I seriously am not sure we’re allowed in there though! They told us we were banned for a year last time, so we’ll see.
Credit: Patrick Houdek
How have you found the UK to be compared to your expectations?
Brett: I have toured the UK with Dear Landlord. We had some great shows and met a lot of great friends. After watching every episode of Alan Partridge, I expected the whole island to be HILARIOUS, and it was. I expected London to be cold, wet, and grey… it was. I expected Glasgow to be sketchy, scary, and just like “Trainspotting”… it was. I had no idea what to expect in Aberdeen, but our evening spent drinking a 2 liter plastic bottle of cider in a drippy, gloomy old stone tunnel seemed about right. The only wild card was Wales. From what the rest of the UK seemed to say about it, I expected it to be like another planet, where no means yes and nothing makes sense, but nope… exactly the same as the rest of the island.There’s a comment on some other website saying that you “eat squirrels” ; somebody else commented that you guys “sound like The Dopamines” so what do you have to say to that?
Luke: We’re definitely kinda hillbillies from really small towns, but we have running water and all that shit. We couldn’t sound like the Dopamines if we tried, they have 47 parts for each song.What treatment do you get abroad – are people normally nice or are you guys generally a source of ridicule?
Luke: Most of the time people are super nice honestly. I wish they would break our balls more, but maybe since most of the countries we go to are not English-speaking, maybe they’re more tentative about joking? Or maybe we’re just such a lost cause, so hopelessly and cluelessly “American” that they feel sorry for us and don’t wanna pile on.The Red Scare Industries Compilation is out September 23rd. What’s it like to be on it alongside those other great bands?
Luke: Red Scare is awesome. Toby is our great friend who is responsible for a lot of any success we have. And obviously, there’s a ton of awesome bands on this comp and that label. I’m particularly fond of our fellow Illinoisan bands The Brokedowns and The Methadones. Of course, The Lillingtons are legends and Masked Intruder are our boys. A lot of good friends on this shit!Finally, what’s your favourite Red Scare album?
Luke: “This Won’t Hurt” by The Methadones prolly. So many though!