IF THERE was ever a Noughties nostalgia tour to see then it is the combination of A, InMe and Wheatus. Three rock groups with three very different styles. Jamie Walker caught up with Jason Perry (A), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus) and Gazz Marlow (InMe) to hear about their tour which kicks off in Brighton.

How much are you guys looking forward to this tour?

Jason: We are very much looking forward to it.. the downside is having to try and get fit and practice, but everything else is cool. Can’t wait to play these songs.

Brendan: We are the most excited for these shows.

Not only because we get to hear “Hi-Fi Serious” played in full every single night, but because we get to come back to the UK, our most favourite of places to tour.

Gazz: This is our first support tour in ages and we are really excited about it. We’ve been around a long time so we do tend to do a fair whack of headline shows, but it’s a lovely change to get on first, finish early and just get to enjoy the rest of the music.

There are some great venues on this tour, including the likes of Concorde 2 here in Brighton, so we’re stoked to be playing these places. Hopefully it’ll be a great chance for us to play to some new faces.

How did the idea for the tour come about?

Jason: We all met at a funeral recently where various band members were grieving. A few drinks later and we all decided that life was for living and let’s do a little tour before we die too.

Funerals are a great way to kick-start something. Unless you’re the dead guy, then it’s not so good.

Brendan: They reached out and asked if we’d be interested in doing some shows together, and of course we said yes.

Then when we heard InMe was on board as well, we knew we had hit the rock’n’roll jackpot.

Gazz: We can’t claim much credit for this, but we jumped at the chance. We like both the bands already so it’s a great chance to get out on the road, play some music and get to know each other. It’s so cool just being out and about with a new bunch of friends for a couple of weeks.

What are you looking forward to most about these shows?

Jason: Obviously playing the songs and seeing people have a great time, singing some songs that we’ve never ever played before. Also spending the £ 67 each we’re going to make and going to bed straight after the gig.

I like to go to bed early, so I’ll run off stage, into a shower and into my bunk, and it should also all be getting a bit Christmassy in late November too.

Brendan: Plus we love every opportunity we get to rock in the UK. Our fans here are some of the loudest and most enthusiastic in the world, even after all these years they never cease to amaze us.

Gazz: I love any show with a mixed line-up. I think it’s great when you have bands that are kinda from the same scene, but also sound nothing like each other.

I’m certain that there’s gonna be a pretty cool nostalgic vibe on this tour. I can already imagine the reaction that Wheatus will get to “Teenage Dirtbag” and A with “Nothing”. I’m hoping we’ll get a decent reaction to some of our older ones too.

Jason, you’ve got Dougie Poynter of McFly fame along for the ride on this tour, how did that happen?

Jason: Well it hasn’t happened yet. But fingers crossed it will. He is far too good looking for our band though, so he could jump ship and take a modelling job mid-set if we’re not careful.

Then Giles might have to jump in. I’d have to say that he’s not as good looking (and I think he’d agree with that), but he does have bigger calves, which is handy at a rock show.

So if Dougie does bail then I think we’ll be OK. He’s not planning to bail though. He loves A (he does actually love us as humans) and he loves the fans. And he also loves the environment.

So what can the Brighton crowd expect from this show?

Jason: Men trying their best and playing great pop rock anthems while hoping that the fifth man doesn’t leave mid-set for a modelling job, or that a volcano erupts.

Brendan: We’re prepping a special set for this tour that is gonna be loud and heavy.

There are three songs in there we’ve never played live before. An older one, an unreleased new one, and a cover.

We know these crowds are gonna be a mix of fans who have seen us many times and some folks who probably only know “Teenage Dirtbag” so our goal is for every single person to feel like they got hit by a bus. But you know, in a good way.

Gazz: We’re gonna play our best 30-something minutes. We’ve got a shorter slot being first-on, so it will be a mix of our biggest old tunes, some other favourites, and a new one.

We’ll be taking no prisoners and intend to absolutely smash it every night, both in terms of performance and having fun afterwards.

This seems like a fantastic showcase of Noughties rock music, why is this the tour to see in 2018?

Jason: Lava?

Brendan: Honestly, it’s gonna be equal parts the bands on the bill and the crowds at these shows.

We have no doubt that fans are gonna come out ready for an absolute rager and we’re gonna make sure we give them exactly the night they’re hoping for. Can’t wait to see everyone there.

Gazz: By the time of this gig I will have just turned 40, and personally I love revisiting bands that I used to listen to all the time. I went to see Paul Draper perform Mansun’s “Attack of the Grey Lantern” at the Haunt this year and it was incredible, took me right back.

Music has a really powerful way of reconnecting you to memories of college, friends and so on, so I think everyone loves these kind of tours for that reason.

I never managed to catch either A or Wheatus first time round, so I’m well happy to get the chance now, and I imagine a lot of other people feel the same. And hopefully, those very same people will like us too.

You’re hitting Brighton on the tour, is it a city you know well?

Nope… Is it near Hull? I heard that there’s a volcano near the beach - is that true? We’ve always wanted to play a gig on a volcano so I do hope it’s true

You’ve got Dougie Poynter of McFly fame along for the ride on this tour, how did that happen?

Well it hasn’t happened yet. But fingers crossed it will.. He is far too good looking for our band though, so he could jump ship and take a modelling job mid-set if we’re not careful. Then Giles might have to jump in – I’d have to say that he’s not as good looking (and I think he’d agree with that), BUT he does have bigger calves, which is handy at a rock show. So if Dougie does bail then I think we’ll be ok… He’s not planning to bail though - he loves A (he does actually loves us as humans) and he loves the fans… And he also loves the environment

Are you looking forward to having him along with you?

Yes, we love him. He’s an amazing bass player and he’s added so much energy and punch to the songs.. Plus he sleeps in REALLY late, which is ace..

So what can the Brighton crowd expect from this show?

Men trying their best and playing great pop rock anthems while hoping that the fifth man doesn’t leave mid-set for a modelling job… Or that a volcano erupts

This seems like a fantastic showcase of Noughties rock music, why is this the tour to see in 2018?

Lava?

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brendan b brown (WHEATUS)

How much are you guys looking forward to this tour?

You’ve got some great acts with you on the road, how did it all come about?

We’ve never really gotten to meet A properly before, but our paths have crossed a few times. Most notably there was a random university gig we did together back in 2002... I still remember how amazing they sounded that night.

What are you looking forward to most about these shows?

Getting to share the stage with A and InMe every night will be a treat, for sure. Plus we love every opportunity we get to rock in the UK. Our fans here are some of the loudest & most enthusiastic in the world... Even after all these years they never cease to amaze us.

You’re hitting Brighton on the tour, is it a city you know well?

Most definitely... some of the best fish & chips a man can eat! I think we last played at Komedia a couple years ago and we can’t wait to be back. Most of us live in Brooklyn and, more than just about any city in England, Brighton really feels a lot like home.

So what can the Brighton crowd expect from this show?

We’re prepping a special set for this tour that is gonna be loud and HEAVY. There are three songs in there we’ve never played live before: an older one, an unreleased new one, and a cover. We know these crowds are gonna be a mix of fans who have seen us many times and some folks who probably only know “Teenage Dirtbag” so our goal is for every single person to feel like they got hit by a bus. But you know, in a good way.

This seems like a fantastic showcase of Noughties rock music, why is this the tour to see in 2018?

Honestly, it’s gonna be equal parts the bands on the bill and the crowds at these shows. We have no doubt that fans are gonna come out ready for an absolute rager... and we’re gonna make sure we give them exactly the night they’re hoping for. Can’t wait to see everyone there!

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GAZZ MARLOW (INME)

You’ve got some great acts with you on the road, how did it all come about?

To be fair we can’t claim much credit for this, but we jumped at the chance - we like both the bands already so it’s a great chance to get out on the road, play some music and get to know each other. That’s half the fun - like when we toured with Alien Ant Farm a couple of years back, and The Rasmus a few years before - it’s so cool just being out and about with a new bunch of friends for a couple of weeks.

What are you looking forward to most about these shows?

I love any show with a mixed line up. I think it’s great when you have bands that are kinda-sorta from the same scene, but also sound nothing like each other. I’m certain that there’s gonna be a pretty cool nostalgic vibe on this tour - I can already imagine the reaction that Wheatus will get to “Teenage Dirtbag” and A with “Nothing”. I’m hoping we’ll get a decent reaction to some of our older ones too! We’ll definitely be playing at least one new song from our upcoming album too, so that’s gonna be pretty exclusive. We also just love meeting new people - it’s one of those perks of the job, so to speak. So people should definitely come and say hi to us afterwards.

You’re hitting Brighton on the tour, is it a city you know well?

Very well! I have lived in Brighton for 20 years! I run a rock club night called Guerilla Rocks (at Envy) which has been going for over a decade. And for my day job, I work for the NHS. I’ve been to most cities in the UK but I think personally, that Brighton is the best one. It’s got the perfect mix of everything, it’s almost impossible to be bored. So many great pubs, and I’ve still not got over my compulsion to buy a GutBuster from the Market Diner after a big night! InMe rehearse at Brighton Electric a lot too, which is a great studio.

So what can the Brighton crowd expect from this show?

We’re gonna play our best 30-something minutes! We’ve got a shorter slot being first-on, so it will be a mix of our biggest old tunes, some other favourites, and a new one. We’ll be taking no prisoners and intend to absolutely smash it every night - both in terms of performance and having fun afterwards!

This seems like a fantastic showcase of Noughties rock music, why is this the tour to see in 2018?

By the time of this gig I will have just turned 40, and personally I love revisiting bands that I used to listen to all the time. I went to see Paul Draper perform Mansun’s “Attack of the Grey Lantern” at the Haunt this year and it was incredible, took me right back. Music has a really powerful way of reconnecting you to memories of college, friends and so on, so I think everyone loves these kind of tours for that reason. I never managed to catch either A or Wheatus first time round, so I’m well happy to get the chance now, and I imagine a lot of other people feel the same! And hopefully, those very same people will like us too.