I love iteration. First drafts, second chances, repeated attempts at making something special and ephemeral. I’ve gotten more comfortable with accepting our records the way they are, even the first recordings when we were just figuring out the basics. They represent earnest attempts at meeting the moment with the skills I had at the time and the friends who offered theirs as well.
Tour offers another chance at this; playing a different show every night, trying out new setlists, new transitions, and new approaches to songs. A bigger room may offer possibilities to bring an entirely different set than a small room — same with audiences.
This is a rambling way to say that each night, we get a new chance to find the intersection between where the audience is, what the venue can accommodate, and where our songs can take the night. It’s a delicate balance, but after eight years or so, we have enough songs that work live to give us plenty of options.
At Kassel, we played a lean support set that I was really proud of. I love a short, 25 minute opportunity to surprise people, demand attention, and dip. I love short sets like this just as much as the longer ones. All killer, no filler, etc etc.
We spent the night in a hotel room with bunk beds. Being in a band is also just being grown men having sleepovers, watching a German dub of Airplane 2 on the television. Not everything is so heady — and those jokes transfer even without subtitles.
