Interview: You Am I - New Zealand Tour

No longer delayed by pandemic curveballs, Australian rock titans You Am I are finally playing their first Aotearoa shows in over 15 years this week in Wellington and Auckland, including a gig north of the super city at Leigh Sawmill Café. Proudly repping a career that spans nearly a dozen studio albums, more than three decades of live shows and ten ARIA Music Awards so far, You Am I have been charging hard with the same solid lineup since '99, releasing studio record number eleven The Lives Of Others in 2020.

No stranger to a killer hook himself, Steve Mathieson of Lunavela got on the line with longterm bassist / backing vocalist Andy Kent for a rapid-fire question and answer session. Dive into their chat below and don't miss the long-awaited return of You Am I at the following dates — performing a "mixture of old and new songs" with special guests Voodoo Bloo, Ekko Park and Volts...

UnderTheRadar proudly presents...

You Am I

Tickets available HERE via UTR

Steve Mathieson: So I did some research and saw that you grew up in Wellington?

Andy Kent: Yeah, I grew up in Wellington, went to High School there and left for Australia when I was fifteen and immersed myself with the scene. The drinking age was eighteen, we played in bands. Our neighbours would blast music from their P.A next door, things like Ornette Coleman, Alice Coltrane, punk pock, Joy Division, New Order.

I also see that Lee Ronaldo (Sonic Youth) produced one of your albums, how did that come about?

We did a tour of the Big Day Outs in the 90s and got along with them really well. Reached out to them to record an EP, then we flew over to Minneapolis to record in the country. When we got there to record, he was like, "Sorry it smells like the drummer burnt his t-shirt." Nirvana had just finished recording In Utero there the day before.

Wow, that's amazing! How do you keep the band together for so long and still be friends?

Two of them live in Melbourne and two live in Sydney. We have months of not seeing each other. And don't see each other that much when we are not on tour, just because we are so busy with life and stuff.

What can fans expect from the show?

We haven't played in Auckland in so long. We were meant to play In Wellington, but it keeps getting postponed. The set is a mixture of old and new songs. It will be tight.

What advice would you give to an up and coming musician, other than don't do it?

Get into enjoying it with the right people. Write good music. People will find it.

Do you have any pre-gig rituals?

Pacing, mainly pacing. Our wives and girlfriends noticed we all pace before we go on stage, haha.

Britpop or Flying Nun?

Flying Nun, those The Clean albums still hold up really well.

Totally! Worst question you've ever been asked other than this one?

So many bad questions.

Is there a particular live show moment that stands out?

The recent tours, all the guys are clicking in and it's bigger than the sum of it. A recent afternoon show, just felt really good.

Any touring disasters?

When we first went to New York. We flew in, we drove to New Jersey, came out of the other side of a tunnel and a car crashed into us and the guy just wiped out. Some people started chanting "jaws of life" It was really fucked up. He mashed into our car.

Any Australian bands you are digging?

King Stingray are awesome.