The Higher interview
 

Way back when; in the spring, The Higher came to the UK for around a week, supporting the much loved Elliot Minor on their album launch tour. We caught up with the guys before backstage at Cardiff University prior to the show. We managed to get everything out of the guys about the current tour, Warped Tour, future plans, past trials and tribulations and just about everything in between. We couldn’t quite get any embarrassing secrets out of them but there’s plenty of interest, dive in.

How’s the UK treating you so far?
Reggie: Really good, 2 more days left, 1 more show after tonight.

Have the shows been going well?
Seth: All the shows have been above and beyond what we were expecting, it’s amazing.

How does it compare to US crowds and US shows?
Reggie: I think kids are a little bit more excited than in the US, they seem a little more energetic.
Doug: They move around
Seth: I feel like when we’re in the States if somebody knows your band they get really excited and move around, here people don’t even know who our band is and still bring the energy that kids in the States would so it’s awesome

Are you finding that lots of people are at shows specifically to see you or are you tagging off Elliot Minor?
Doug: More than I thought there would be actually
Seth: We didn’t really know what to really expect with fans coming, we knew that a lot of people were showing up to see Elliot Minor, either way.

It’s all been going good then, are there any interesting stories?
Doug: In Leeds, me, Seth and our merch guy went to a bar called the Cockpit and they were playing late 90’s rap rock, the people out here are still into it, it kind of surprised me. Kids were dancing around to it, like Limp Bizkit, in the States if you were caught doing that right now you’d be made fun of. I don’t know, me and Seth thought it was interesting.

So you’re going back to the States to do Warped Tour next month, that’s got to be exciting?
Seth: Oh yeah, this is our first playing more than just a one off date there, we’re actually on the first half of the tour and it’s going to be amazing for us, it’s exciting.

You’ve had a tough few years with line-up changes and finding yourself musically, would you say the band as it is at the moment is the finished product or do you still think there’s a little way to go?
Seth: As of right now, the 4 of us are definitely finished product, I think we’re going to end up finding a 5th member, another guitarist to be in the band. That line-up change will probably happen either before Warped Tour or right after. But for right now us 4 are who’s writing on the new record, we’re trying to get it ready so we can record it right after Warped Tour.

Looking at something for early next year with the record?
Seth: Yeah, yeah, definitely

With the tough times you’ve had did it ever get to a point where you thought maybe it’s not worth doing the band anymore?
Seth: I don’t think any of us really thought that, it’s sad to see members leave, come and go, but when you know that this is what you want to do it doesn’t really matter about who you’re doing it with you just want to keep doing it. None of us really had the thought of quitting, I think us 4 will be in the band for the long haul.

As a band, would you say you’re much happier now?
Seth: Yeah I’d definitely say, the vibe in the band is good and everybody’s positive and we’re all having a lot of fun.

Where do you see the band going in the long run?
Seth: Just playing shows to as many kids as possible, we could see ourselves being huge and we could be content just making music for a living. It’s one of those things where we know our band is good and we know that we could do big things. We’ll just see where these next couple of years take us.

Do you think it’s important to stand out for doing something different in the music world or shouldn’t it matter as long as you’re doing what you love?
Reggie: We just want to write the best songs we possibly can
Seth: I don’t think any band really sticks out unless they try something different, just push themselves to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Just make themselves develop as artists.

Speaking of differences, you guys are pushing something different, mixing a few different styles, could you tell us a bit more about that?
Seth: We’re just trying to write the best songs possible, we have influences in lots of different styles of music where you could call us pop, you could call us rock, you could call us R’n’B, funk
Reggie: Emo
Seth: You could call us emo, if you want, you could call us whatever. We’re trying to not just classify ourselves as one genre, we’re trying to take all the genres that we have influences in, bring them together and make what is The Higher, The Higher.

Was that always the intention or did you just come to that decision?
Seth: I think that’s always been the intention.
Reggie: In the past couple of years we’ve gotten a lot more into R’n’B and stuff like that, on the last record we messed around with some R’n’B type stuff, and on the new record too we’re going to keep that same general sound.

Is it something you find is developing in your music as you get older?
Seth: We just want to write music and make music that gets people feeling good and having a good time and brings them back to want to come see us live.

Do you think that’s been working?
Seth: I think it has, I think everyone that gets a chance to see us play live and gets a chance to really hear our record likes it

Do you think you’ve made some new friends & new fans in the UK?
Seth: For sure, I have a feeling that next time we come here we’ll have a lot more fans that of ours.

Do you think you’ll be headlining next time?
Doug: We’ll see
Seth: It’s hard to see, we’ll see what happens. We’re hoping to come back next time and just play a couple of festivals, touch base with more artists than we were able to. See what the UK has to offer.

Do you think this will after the new record?
Seth: Probably, we won’t get back until after the new record is out or just before it. The soonest we’ll get back is the fall probably.

So what’s the best part about touring in general?
Doug: The shows
Seth: The actual playing. The sitting around before the shows can get boring at times but once has started and we’re ready to take the stage it’s just amazing every night. We get to do something we love, it’s awesome, it’s a good feeling. Beats a desk job
Doug: Beats a regular job, even all the waiting around, we’d rather do that than sit at a desk.

Is there a major difference between touring in the US and UK?
Reggie: The venues are a little different, they’re all like universities, it’s not like that in the States.
Doug: They seem really organised here, the security especially, they always know what you’re doing.
Reggie: We’re in a sprinter van too, in the States we’re in a another van, it’s a little different.
Seth: I’d say the biggest difference between in the UK and touring in the States is we don’t get to eat as much as we’d like when we’re in the UK, because we’re just not used to the food just yet.
Reggie: KFC is good here, I like KFC a lot. I couldn’t get it today, I was quite upset about it. We had to settle for gas station sandwiches and they just didn’t cut it really.

Have you been enjoying the experience of touring with Elliot Minor and Furthest Drive Home?
Seth: Yeah both bands are really fun guys to hang out with and they’re really talented guys. You can see they like to have fun and sing really loud in the background when we’re doing interviews. Couldn’t ask for better friends!

Have you had chance to see much of the UK, or has it just been shows and driving?
Reggie: Yes, I wish I could’ve seen more of it.
Seth: I wish we could’ve had a little bit more time off and gotten to wander round a little bit more, you know. Maybe next time we’ll get a chance to do a little bit more of that. Pretty much just going show to show so far.
Doug: It’s unfortunate that the city that I got to know the best was Blackpool.

I’ve been told by an American that it’s a really bad version of Coney Island, would you agree?
All: That’s exactly it, yeah (laughs)
Face: Doug and I witnessed a guy get knocked out in the street, it was interesting.
Seth: And an Australian pub. I dunno, it was funny.

Are there any bands you guys particularly enjoy touring with more than others?
Reggie: The Matches, we’ve toured with them a couple of times now, they’re really nice guys.

That’s all, thanks for speaking with us today. We hope you enjoy the rest of the tour and good luck with Warped Tour.