On the Road with Abaddon Incarnate

Hello Mr. Maher – good of you to join us. You’ll be in Australia by the time this piece runs so let me be amongst the first to welcome you down under! Looking forward to the upcoming Aussie Tour? “Yes. I’ve just got on the train to the airport. It’s Tuesday, and I’ll get there on Thursday(laughs)”.

You’re playing a variety of venues on the tour – from record shops to festivals – what’s the best environment for Abaddon Incarnate music to flourish? “I prefer small venues, there’s more atmosphere and more energy. But big festivals are a novelty for us. It will be cool to do more of those too. It doesn’t really matter where we play. Once the people are into it, we are happy.”

What would your ideal rider be for each member of the band? “(more laughter) Beer, Guinness, wine, some uppers and downers”.

Nice and simple. Surely not much room for disappointment there. But what, in reality, do you get? We hear some horror stories about stingy promoters and venues? Any truth in them? “Yeah, I once played in London, amongst the gilded temples of Mammon, for a scabby cheese sandwich and six stubby bottles of beer, between the whole band.”

Horrific. But that’s London for you. If you’re not ‘in’, you starve! Let’s get back to something more positive. What’s the best thing about touring? “The travel, seeing new bands, the camaraderie between band members.”

That’s enough of the good stuff. What’s the worst a tour can throw at you? “Lack of sleep, heartburn and/or bad guts, messing up the regular routine, recovery.”

How do audiences differ from place to place across the globe? Is a small town in Ireland a more rocking town than one in Germany? Or Australia? Or is everywhere much the same in these days of globalization? “Small towns often have a better buzz, as they don’t get as many international bands. Big cites like London or Madrid can be very hit and miss, due to the amount of bands passing through.”

London’s not coming out of this very well, is it? Let’s hope the big cities of the Antipodes treat you a little more kindly. What piece of kit is essential to your piece of mind whilst on tour? And what little luxury that maybe you shouldn’t take on the road would you like to spirit away on the tour bus? “Spare (guitar) strings and constant access to beer. I’d like to take some speed or cocaine, but it catches up with you pretty quick. I’d also like to take more t-shirts to replace sweaty ones, but I never have space.”

Ah, yes, the perennial bane of the tourist. Luggage limits. Any other Abaddon Incarnate business we should be aware of? “After this tour we will write and work on the next release, and hopefully have something ready by next autumn. Thanks for the interview, sorry for the short answers, but I’m doing this on my phone, on the way to the airport.”

No worries mate – thanks for taking part!

Abaddon Incarnate are on tour from today at the following venues:

Thursday: March 9: Enigma Bar, Adelaide
with Slow Rot, Whorgasm, Wounded Pig, Sickness

Friday: March 10: Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne
with Pissbolt, The Ruiner, Contaminated, Unbound (QLD) + ESP Mayhem

Saturday, March 11: Such Is Life Festival, Raglan
with Rogernomix (NZ), Infinite Void, Bourgeoise Robbery (UK), Territory, Unsanitary Napkins (NZ), Grey Places, Thorax,
Debacle, Extinctexist, Spacebong, Enzyme, Axillism, Unbound, Human Battery, Hextape, Diploid, MSV BCP, Whitehorse