Review Fix chats with  Justin Keenan of The Go Set, who discusses their upcoming album and upcoming US Tour.
For More on the band, click here.
Review Fix: What does it feel like to be playing the US again?
Justin Keenan: Great. We had such a good time last time around. It’s always hard to start touring in a new territory, especially a market as big as the US, because it feels like you’re going back to the days of starting out. Nobody knows the band, there isn’t much money, and things can be tough. Fortunately for us, we’ve got a great team working with us in the US now, so we have really hit the ground running.
Review Fix: What inspired the current album?
Keenan: I think we just wanted to lock ourselves away and play the songs as a group, rather than going through the clinical processes in a studio. I mean, we basically set up the mics and recording gear and just went for it. The key for a band like us is to try and replicate what we do live, and I think this record captures that really well.
Review Fix: What music will you be playing on this tour?
Keenan: A bit of a mixture off all of the albums. We tend to know which ones transfer well live, so we’ll definitely play a lot of the high energy stuff. The set will vary each night too, so we are planning on pulling out a lot of early material as well.
Review Fix: What makes this new album special?
Keenan: Probably the fact that we did it entirely ourselves, and that we’ve been able to attach our documentary film to the package. It’s a great starting point for US audiences who have just discovered us because it gives an entire decade of background in an hour and also explains the making of the audio they’re listening to.
Review Fix: Is there a song that stands out? How was it written?
Keenan: The band guys like the first single – Bones, because it’s really dynamic to play live. For me, I like a song called ‘The Last March’ because it’s very personal and quiet. It adds a new dimension to the album I think.
Review Fix: Who will enjoy the album the most?
Keenan: Good question, I’m not sure. I think that it sits somewhere to be punk enough for the kids, and folk enough for their parents – with a definite harder edge. I’ll be interested to see how our audience develops in the US. In Europe its mainly students and punks, but in Australia we play a lot of folk festivals as the ‘late night punk rock’ act!
Review Fix: What makes it different from your previous work?
Keenan: I guess the lack of outside help, and also that I think the songs were crafted really meticulously over a period of time.
Review Fix: How do you want this tour to be remembered by fans?
Keenan: As the best new thing they’ve seen all year.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Keenan: Yep…. go and see live music. Buy what you enjoy and don’t download it for free. It’s never been harder for independent bands than it is right now, so get out and support it.
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