On the verge of a lengthy North American tour that kicks off in Vancouver this Wednesday (March 20), Copenhagen post-punks Iceage are gearing up to share the songs from the recent You're Nothing LP with the other side of the pond. As guitarist Johan Surrballe Wieth tells Exclaim!, however, it's not really that big of a deal.
"They've heard it before, so I'm not nervous," he says regarding how fans will treat the new material in a live setting. "We've been playing the songs for a very a long time. Some of them we started playing right after New Brigade. It is more exciting, because people tend to have an easier time going along with something if they've heard it on record."
In fact, fans will be treated to more than just material from the band's two LPs. As Wieth explains, even You're Nothing is already old news to the band. "For everyone, the album just came out, but for us it's been done for seven or eight months. We are in a different place."
To remedy that, Iceage have already started working on their next release. Though he can't tell us when they'll be recorded, the band have been trying out new songs on the road. "I think we're already playing four new songs. Sometimes even five new songs live. We just want to get on with it, I guess."
Being in a different place is a common thread through the band's discography. As Wieth is quick to point out, each of Iceage's releases is an accurate snapshot of a band in constant forward movement. "We met our own expectations with the first record, we were just in a different place. This time we did it as it was supposed to be, and it turned out exactly as we wanted it. Now we're a little bit different, but it was made as it was supposed to be made."
Still, while he admits he can only speak for himself, Wieth is unsure if he can maintain the intense touring lifestyle in the long term. "I'm looking forward to revisiting a lot of places, but I'm also dreading it a bit," he says of the band's upcoming tour. "It's for a very long time, and you tend to go a little crazy at one point. I wish I could figure out how not to go crazy, I guess."
As for how much longer he can see himself doing this, he's unsure but he knows it won't be an lifelong project. "It has an expiration date," he says of the band. "Maybe a day, maybe three years. I don't know."
Iceage's tour dates are available below, along with the recent mini-documentary NYC 1/25-26/13.
Tour dates:
3/20 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore *
3/21 Seattle, WA - Barboza
3/22 Olympia, WA - Capital Theater (backstage)
3/23 Portland, OR - Star Theater
3/24 Arcata, CA - Big Tree
3/25 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Shop ^$
3/26 Oakland, CA - New Parish ^$
3/28 Bakersfield, CA - Munoz Gym %
3/29 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex %
3/31 San Diego, CA -the Casbah %
4/1 Tempe, AZ - Deadhorse Warehouse
4/4 Denver, CO - Marquis Theater ^$
4/5 Kansas City, KS - Middle of the Map Festival
4/6 Grinnel, IA - Grinnell Collage $
4/7 Minneapolis, MN - The Triple Rock Social Club
4/9 Madison, WI - The University of Wisconsin
4/10 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
4/11 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
4/12 Pittsburgh, PA - 6119
4/16 Burlington, VT - Monkey House @
4/17 Boston, MA - TT the Bears @
4/18 New Haven, CT - Lilly's Pad (Toad's Place Upstairs) @
4/19 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church @
4/20 New York, NY at the Bowery Ballroom @
5/30-6/2 Austin, TX - Chaos in Tejas #
6/3 Houston, TX - Mango's #
6/4 New Orleans, LA - Siberia #
6/5 Gainesville, FL - the Atlantic #
6/7 Miami, FL - Churchill's #
6/8 Tampa, FL - Crowbar #
6/9 Atlanta, GA - the Earl #
6/10 Charlotte, NC - the Milestone#
6/11 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter #
6/12 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel#
6/13 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg (Northside Music Festival) #
6/15-16 Toronto, ON - NXNE Music Festival #
6/17 Ottawa, ON - Babylon#
6/18 Montreal, QC - Il Motore#
* with Spectres
^ with Merchandise
% with Milk Music
$ with Wet Hair
@ with White Lung
# with Lower
"They've heard it before, so I'm not nervous," he says regarding how fans will treat the new material in a live setting. "We've been playing the songs for a very a long time. Some of them we started playing right after New Brigade. It is more exciting, because people tend to have an easier time going along with something if they've heard it on record."
In fact, fans will be treated to more than just material from the band's two LPs. As Wieth explains, even You're Nothing is already old news to the band. "For everyone, the album just came out, but for us it's been done for seven or eight months. We are in a different place."
To remedy that, Iceage have already started working on their next release. Though he can't tell us when they'll be recorded, the band have been trying out new songs on the road. "I think we're already playing four new songs. Sometimes even five new songs live. We just want to get on with it, I guess."
Being in a different place is a common thread through the band's discography. As Wieth is quick to point out, each of Iceage's releases is an accurate snapshot of a band in constant forward movement. "We met our own expectations with the first record, we were just in a different place. This time we did it as it was supposed to be, and it turned out exactly as we wanted it. Now we're a little bit different, but it was made as it was supposed to be made."
Still, while he admits he can only speak for himself, Wieth is unsure if he can maintain the intense touring lifestyle in the long term. "I'm looking forward to revisiting a lot of places, but I'm also dreading it a bit," he says of the band's upcoming tour. "It's for a very long time, and you tend to go a little crazy at one point. I wish I could figure out how not to go crazy, I guess."
As for how much longer he can see himself doing this, he's unsure but he knows it won't be an lifelong project. "It has an expiration date," he says of the band. "Maybe a day, maybe three years. I don't know."
Iceage's tour dates are available below, along with the recent mini-documentary NYC 1/25-26/13.
Tour dates:
3/20 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore *
3/21 Seattle, WA - Barboza
3/22 Olympia, WA - Capital Theater (backstage)
3/23 Portland, OR - Star Theater
3/24 Arcata, CA - Big Tree
3/25 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Shop ^$
3/26 Oakland, CA - New Parish ^$
3/28 Bakersfield, CA - Munoz Gym %
3/29 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex %
3/31 San Diego, CA -the Casbah %
4/1 Tempe, AZ - Deadhorse Warehouse
4/4 Denver, CO - Marquis Theater ^$
4/5 Kansas City, KS - Middle of the Map Festival
4/6 Grinnel, IA - Grinnell Collage $
4/7 Minneapolis, MN - The Triple Rock Social Club
4/9 Madison, WI - The University of Wisconsin
4/10 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
4/11 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
4/12 Pittsburgh, PA - 6119
4/16 Burlington, VT - Monkey House @
4/17 Boston, MA - TT the Bears @
4/18 New Haven, CT - Lilly's Pad (Toad's Place Upstairs) @
4/19 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church @
4/20 New York, NY at the Bowery Ballroom @
5/30-6/2 Austin, TX - Chaos in Tejas #
6/3 Houston, TX - Mango's #
6/4 New Orleans, LA - Siberia #
6/5 Gainesville, FL - the Atlantic #
6/7 Miami, FL - Churchill's #
6/8 Tampa, FL - Crowbar #
6/9 Atlanta, GA - the Earl #
6/10 Charlotte, NC - the Milestone#
6/11 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter #
6/12 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel#
6/13 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg (Northside Music Festival) #
6/15-16 Toronto, ON - NXNE Music Festival #
6/17 Ottawa, ON - Babylon#
6/18 Montreal, QC - Il Motore#
* with Spectres
^ with Merchandise
% with Milk Music
$ with Wet Hair
@ with White Lung
# with Lower
