Simply put, Pop Evil is a larger-than-life true rock n’ roll band blending the earnestness of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden with the celebratory showmanship of Motley Crue and Kiss, capable of empathizing with the daily struggles of their fans while simultaneously offering the escapism a truly bombastic concert provides. The band are heading to Australia for the very first time this week so we caught up with vocalist Leigh Kakaty to chat about the tour, their latest album and more.
Andrew: Hows things been with you guys?
Leigh: Oh dude it’s been great. It’s been a great year thus far and just trying to get energised up here and refuel the batteries and get ready for this awesome Australia tour man, we’re stoked!
Andrew: Yeah it’s good to see you finally in the country, your first tour here ever. I guess you may give the Aussie fans something a little different than your usual tour or what will be the plan from you guys?
Leigh: Well right now we’re just excited to be able to be your way. We’re going to bring a lot of energy in the set right now that we’ve been doing is incredible. We got a lot of energy, it’s the perfect blend of all 5 of our records so we’re definitely stoked about getting a chance to showcase this music and especially with the new music off this new album of ours in Australia. So can’t wait, once we get off this long plane ride it will be smooth sailing but we gotta get there first so definitely stoked to finally be in the country.
Andrew: Yeah definitely, good to have you here. So for those that have never seen Pop Evil before, what does a Pop Evil show look like?
Leigh: It looks like high energy no matter what. Obviously it’s our first tour in Australia so the production will be limited just because we don’t even know the fanbase at the moment, so we’re just coming in there with an open mind and see where it’s at. Where’s the Pop Evil fanbase right now and wherever it is, build on that and take it to the next level as we continue to grow in Australia. But a lot of high energy, the set is great. It’s very relatable to life, lot of peaks and valleys that are consistent with the emotions that we deal with in every day life. It’s kind of what Pop Evil has always been about, making music that can hopefully motivate people to be better in a positive in life which is what it’s always been about.
Andrew: Yeah absolutely music is one of those things that brings people together, so it’s always good to see it become a shared passion so to speak.
Leigh: Yeah exactly.
Andrew: Obviously you have been on the road and touring for the latest album, the self titled. How has it been all going so far? What kibd of a response have you been getting from the fans so far?
Leigh: It’s been great. I mean the new record and the way the sings have been received has been humbling, the way they’ve caught on to it really quickly, hopefully it’s a testament that we’re doing the right thing and stepping closer in the right direction. We’re just going to kind of use this album as a stepping stone for the next album and the future of recording, we just want to keep pushing the boundaries and not be afraid to be experimental but always add to it and not look back.
Andrew: You have a few albums now in the past in that evolution, what were some of the things you wanted to achieve with this album?
Leigh: I guess the best way to describe it is we wanted to achieve more of an identity on this record with our fanbase, the ying and yang, the plus and minus that is life. Pop Evil the sheer name alone has always been perceived as, pop was always a bad word growing up, pop bands in rock music was always kinda evil to us. So Pop Evil was like a mission statement, it gave us purpose to get up in life and keep motivating to do this and fight for the genre we love. So definitely wanted to just achieve that, create more of an opportunity to remind fans in our fanbase that, ‘Hey man they can get melody when you hear us and you’re going to get our influences and a fusion of all these different genres but the melody in my voice is that Pop Evil signature that kinda keeps it cohesive and keeps it together. So again very much wanted to be influenced by metal on this record, stuff like “Waking Lions”, “Colors Bleed” but not to be afraid of again, be relatable to life. Sometimes we’re angry, sometimes we’re sad, sometimes we’re happy, we wanted to make sure we had all that, whether you’re “Waking Lions” and being motivated, “Be Legendary” and be motivated but also when you get to the end of the record and listen to songs like “Rewind”. Even on “Nothing But Thieves”, songs like that just remind you to just not be afraid to shut your eyes and let the music take you where it needs to take you. So again that’s the Pop Evil way, if you come see us live then you’ll really start to get it. Not one song sounds alike, we want to make sure to challenge our fanbase and not just regurgitate past success. We want to give them a nice mix and blend of the musicianship that we are that is our band, you get to hear our influences when you hear the songs and albums, our influences kinda come more out when you see our writing.
Andrew: Sure and looking forward to seeing these songs come to life on stage. I was checking out the latest video you put out, “Be Legendary”, I love the throwback to the 80’s with the video game machines and stuff. Was the video related to the lyrics? What was the story between that video and the song itself?
Leigh: Well there can be a lot of things related to the lyrics. I think with us, a lot of kids now playing on their iPad and it just seems like kids are missing out on the real video games that we had. When we saw a video arcade, it was so nostalgic and such an event for you. Now they don’t get to go do that, just pick an iPad in the house, these young kids sometimes don’t even want to leave the house! Give me a break, we want to go to the arcade, we want to go to the movies, we want to play these games. So again an opportunity for our influence, there are so many parents that are raising their kids on rock n roll that their listening to these songs and that our songs have become anthems to families and people working out, a lot of life experiences. So we want to write those songs again, challenge ourselves with these music videos to challenge people to be better and to remind them that their not alone. To see these kids come together playing little versions of…it’s not about bullies, it’s about supporting each other and when you don’t always get what you expect, to know that you’re not alone but still you got people in your corner, they got your back, you can take on anything in your life. Just knowing that you’re not alone and that people have your back is the big lesson in “Be Legendary”, it’s those things about being positive and taking those steps, we all can be legendary in our everyday life. All little kinds of things we can do, be a better father, better brother or sister, mother, father, you get it. Cool video how it turned out, just seeing how people are receiving it which keeps connecting with people which is what it’s all about so it’s a huge honour.
Andrew: Yeah great video and a great message like you were saying. So speaking of being legendary and legendary people out in the world, who did you consider to be the legends in your life when you were a kid that sort of spawned you to be a musician?
Leigh: My Dad. I wrote a song called “Torn To Pieces” about my Dad, slaved away every day of his life until he passed, he had a heart attack and he was still working. I mean he was probably in his late 70’s and had no business working but he didn’t want his kids to be struggling in any way and wanted us to be in a better place. So Dad was a big influence and of course my Mom as well, I mean his Grandparents were first generation in this country and did everything they could so I could follow my dream man. I owe everything to them so I didn’t have to work a real job and I could pursue a dream as a job, it’s something as an honour to have and it’s a job I can give back in a responsible way to help people with my lyrics. Those lyrics will hopefully live on when I’m long gone so it’s definitely some legendary moves with two great parents that’s for sure.
Andrew: Yeah definitely. It must feel really great to be in a band that’s become successful and to be able to do this as a career, it must be a wonderful feeling to have.
Leigh: It is, I mean we don’t owe anything to ourselves as a success as there’s so much work to be done, but it’s definitely an honour to be able to do this full time. It’s definitely not something to be taken for granted, you always realize we’re one album away or one song away or how about this, one bad album or bad song from going home for good. You gotta always put on your A game, you’re only as good as your last song so we gotta just make sure we’re out there trying to write better ones.
Andrew: Absolutely! Well before you get to Australia then, do you have any last words for the Aussie fans?
Leigh: Yeah man we’d like to thank all our fans that have been waiting for us for so long to finally get to your country. So it’s happening and we’re coming so kudos to them for waiting so long and being patient. And lastly to the fans that are kinda new to us and don’t know, we invite you to be open minded. Come out, support, bring a friend, bring a loved one and be ready to be entertained man. That’s our job, to entertain you. You deserve a night out with good rock n roll so hopefully we’ll see you out there.
POP EVIL AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2019
Thursday 4th April: Enigma Bar; Adelaide
Friday 5th April: The Prince Band Room; Melbourne
Saturday 6th April: The Lair, Metro Theatre; Sydney
Sunday 7th April: The Zoo; Brisbane
Tickets from: http://www.silverbacktouring.com
