On The Road With In Hearts Wake

PHOTO CREDIT: Ellie Mitchell

Australian metalcore band In Hearts Wake will be performing at Charlotte's Vans Warped Tour on July 30th. Guitarist Ben Nairne told us all about life on the road.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
A combination of tight heavy breakdowns and riffs mixed with melodic guitars and anthemic choruses.

What's the first concert you attended?
A festival in our hometown of Byron Bay called Splendour In The Grass. I think I was about 11 years old and remember Coldplay headlining to tens of thousands of people.

What's the strangest gig you've played?
We've had a few venues that have been cancelled on the day of the show so we've gone back to people's houses to play in their lounge rooms. It's so much more fun than playing an actual venue!

What's the craziest thing a fan has done at one of your shows?
We've had people propose to their partners multiple times on stage during our set. I think that's pretty crazy. It'd take a lot of guts to do that in front of an audience. Luckily, the answer has always been "Yes!"

What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
If it's during the summer, we always try and find a swimming spot of some kind, whether it's the beach or a nice waterfall. We just love getting in the water.

How do you spend your days on the road?
The best way to pass time in between all of the chaos is usually to watch a TV series or read a book.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
We've never really had any pre-show rituals. Everyone just does their own thing. The vocalists usually do vocal warm-ups and the rest of us usually just stretch.

What's some advice you'd give to a band embarking on its first tour?
Don't expect to kill it. You'll be playing to plenty of empty rooms, sleeping on floors, and not showering but that's all part of the adventure. All the hard work will eventually pay off.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five acts do you choose and what song do you all perform together for the final jam?
Coldplay, Flume, Parkway Drive, Hans Zimmer, and Daft Punk. We'd play "One Step Closer" by Linkin Park for the final jam.

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